Her Protector
by I'm-an-angry-baby
Summary: AU/AH: Isabella Swan's life changed drastically with the savage death of her parents, but can her protector show her that the heart doesn't just cause you pain? Based in the Old West. Will have lemons later. Please, give it a chance.
1. Chapter 1

Her Protector

Chapter One

For the past few months, Isabella Swan's life was full of darkness and disparity. She had barely come in contact with anyone else who spoke her language so she had mostly been silent, barely ever speaking. When she did speak, her voice was a stutter.

Her life wasn't always so dark. She grew up with a loving mother and protective father. Renee and Charlie did the best they could to teach each of their children to be upstanding, good people. Carmen, Angela, and Isabella were the three daughters of the Sheriff that lived at the outskirts of the town in the middle of nowhere. She had very few friends, but many men tried to court both her and her sisters. Carmen was engaged to a wonderful, kind physician named Eleazar while Angela was being courted by a nice lawyer named Benjamin Cheney.

Isabella was the only one who had no love in her life. Sure, she wanted love, but she hadn't found the right man yet. She was, after all, barely sixteen, but at that time, this was the age when most girls got married.

Then, one day, when their whole family was together, enjoying the sunlight and having run in their yard. Five copper skinned men came riding up. Isabella knew what they were. They were Native Americans from one of the villages that surrounded their small town. They usually never came approached any of the towns due to discriminations of the townsfolk so this seemed strange to the whole family.

Her family wasn't like the rest of their town. They had no issues with the tan-skinned natives that lived off the land. There was plenty of land for everyone to use and the Native Americans had never done them any harm.

The women were filled with fear and horror when the tallest man took out his bow and arrow and shot the Sheriff in the head, killing him instantly. The women huddled and feared they might be next, but they also wondered what they could have done to get this reaction from the men who rode up to their home.

Each man, with the exception of their leader, grabbed one of the women and restrained them while they kicked and screamed in protest. Each woman was disgusted as the leader of the natives on their property reached up each woman's skirt and put his fingers inside of them.

Angela and Carmen demanded answers, but the men stayed silent, except for speaking to each other. When the leader made it to Renee, he felt up her skirt and shook his head to the man restraining her. He spoke to the other men in his language and they started to drag the virgin daughters to wagon they had.

The woman fought and protested as they saw the man holding their mother throw her up against their picnic table, lift up her skirt, and start to force himself onto her. Isabella, Angela, and Carmen wanted to save their mother and was forced to watch as their mother fought. The leader held Renee's arms down as she cried and begged for her daughter's lives. She would do whatever they asked of her as long as her babies were okay.

Isabella shrilled out a scream when the man raping her mother finished and the leader quickly slit her throat. All three daughters were traumatized by the violence they witnessed that day, but it was Isabella who was worse off. She was very attached to her mother and to see her die like that was the worst thing she could imagine ever happening. She suffered from nightmares about what those men did to her poor family.

There were at least twenty other young women in that wagon with them, all pretty, white girls in their teens. Most of them had blood on their clothes which meant they all witnessed the death of someone they loved.

No one ever spoke because they were beaten with a bow if they did. They were constantly dehydrated and starving. Their captures only gave them a crust of bread and sip of water once a day. This kept them all weak and vulnerable.

None of them men touched any of them sexually. It was explained to Isabella that the men wouldn't rape them because they were all pure. Their families were killed and they were taken hostage because these men wanted to sell them off to the men among the tribes to be either their mistress or their servant. They were worth nothing to them unless they were pure, which is why all men and all women who had been bedded were slaughtered.

As time went on, the other women in the wagon started to disappear. The would stop in a village, their captors would tie them to a wooden post for men to look at them in that village. Girls would get bought and the kidnappers would find a new house of a white family in the middle of nowhere, kill all men and mothers, and take all the virgin girls. The wagon was always full and the Swan girls were scared that they might be killed one day soon for not being bought.

They were very beautiful, even while malnourished, but no men had wanted them yet.

The wagon slowly pulled up to the Quileute village along the shore of Washington state, across the country from where they were snatched. The leader of the captors set up with the Chief of the tribe to show off the virgin women he possessed. The three sisters leaned together, but remained silent. They were all scared of losing each other and they were scared of not being bought as well. Either alternative ended with them not being together anymore.

Three men came in and put a bag over the heads of the three sisters and dragged them out of the wagon. They were petrified as they were when they made it to every village that they were showed off to. Their feet ached from being dragged and stumbling along the rough ground.

Isabella panted as she was pushed against a wooden pole. Her arms that were tied behind her back were once again tied to the pole behind her. She was scared, scared to die, scared to lose her sisters, but one of her worst fears were that she was scared that some man would buy her to rape her then dispose of her like they did her mother.

She heard men yelling in tongues that she didn't understand before the bag over her head was lifted. She was blinded by the sun before her eyes adjusted to the new light. She saw men in what looked like animal skin skirts and wooden vests lined up in front of the men who held her captive. Some looked concentrated while others looked irritated. A few select others looked sad. She noticed the women among them. Hair in braids, long animal skin dresses, and most had a child attached to their leg in similar clothes. Everyone had long hair which was something she wasn't used to in men until she was taken captive.

The leader of her kidnappers pointed at her as he spoke in his native tongue, then he pointed to each of her sisters. She looked to Carmen who had tears down her face.

"I love you, Car." Isabella pushed out to calm her sister. The leader of the group of killers turned to her with an angry scowl, screamed at her in his native language, and slapped her across the face. Her face turned and impacted with the pole she was tied to, pain surging through her face. She slumped more against the pole as tears filled her eyes.

Suddenly, a russet-skinned man jumped out of the crowd and pushed through her captors, placing a barrier between her and the dangerous man who struck her. His hair, black as night, cascaded over his shoulders as he pointed angrily at the men who held her hostage. This man's attire was slightly different. He wore an animal skin vest and what looked like animal skin pants with some shoes of the same material. Carmen and Angela exchange a look as the two men had an intense argument in their language.

The girls were puzzled. They had no idea what was being said or what was about to happen.

The russet-skinned man turned to Isabella and approached her before kneeling in front of her. Her anxiety escalated as this man pushed the hair out of her face and tucked the matted strands behind her ear. He whispered some soothing words, but they left her confused. She really wished she knew the language so maybe she wouldn't be so scared. His dark, nearly black eyes were so apologetic, but also held some adoration within them. He leaned closer to her as if he was going to kiss her or pose thing to that effect. She moved back and he cupped her face in his hands, examining her neck before looking at her arms. He touched the skirt of her dress and she instinctively flinched away. His eyes met hers again and he looked a little hurt by her moving away from him.

He turned his head back to her captors as she looked to her sisters in panic. She didn't know what was happening or what to expect from this. None of the men from any of the villages had actually inspected her or any of the women. They would just look, pay for them with food, and they would be dragged away.

The sisters looked back upon the russet-skinned man and their kidnappers who were arguing before a young boy ran up carrying a satchel. The boy handed it over to the man who examined Isabella before he tossed it over to the leader of the kidnappers. The leader whistled with his fingers and two of his accomplices cut at Isabella's rope before she looked to her sisters in panic.

"No, no, no!" She protested as her arms stayed tied before her back and Angela and Carmen fought against their restraints. She knew what was happening when her protector handed that satchel over to her kidnappers, but she didn't want to believe it until there was no more time for denial.

This man, the one who had examined her and argued with her captors, had just bought her and she would be separated from her sisters, the only family she had left.

She fought against her captors grip, but she was still very weak from lack of food and watcher.

"Angela! Carmen!" Isabella yelled for her sister before one of the captors kneed her in the gut. Isabella coiled and hit the ground, clutching her stomach. Pain riddled her abdomen as she cried and the man who bought her pushed the men away from her, warning them to keep their hands off this poor woman.

"Please, don't separate us!" Angela begged and she got slapped for this outburst. Isabella screamed for her sisters to be left alone as her protector screamed at her captors to not lay a hand on any of them. Although she had no idea what was said. She prayed he was negotiating to have her sisters as well, but that wasn't what she was witnessing.

Her tanned, tall protector lifted her up into his arms which she didn't fight. Her stomach was still very painful. Both Carmen and Angela screamed in protest, begging to go with their sister, but no one could understand what they were saying.

Their pleads faded as Isabella's protector walked her into a wooden hut. It was so dark she struggled to adjust back to the lack of light. The walls were made of logs and the doorway was covered by what looked like wooden beads hanging on vines. It gave the semblance of privacy while allowing easy access. There was only a large bed to one end of the hut covered in an array of animal furs and the rest was completely empty other than a bowl of water by the side of the bed.

She started to struggle against him, scared of what was about to come next for her. What did this man want with her?

He chastised her with his words, but the language barrier made his stamens fall on deaf ears.

He hurriedly sat her on the bed and she struggled to scoot away from him, panting from her anxiety. She figured that she knew what he was going to try to do to her. He had to have put her on the bed for a reason and not just sat her on the ground. She would fight him if he thought he was going to force himself on her and be able to get away with it.

He put his hands up defensively as he tried to soothe her with his words, but she couldn't understand him even if she tried.

"Don't you dare touch me." She warned as he moved closer and she struggled against the rope around her hands. His hand touched her leg and she yanked it back away from him. "Keep your filthy hands off me!" She yelled at him and he took a deep breath before standing up. She thought he would move away or slap her, but what he did scared her to death.

He grabbed a knife off of the floor next to the bed and she gasped before struggling to get to her feet. She instantly started to run for the door, but was stopped mid stride when the man with her grabbed her from behind, stalling her running.

"Help me! Somebody!" She screamed as she kicked at the man holding her hostage. A woman busted through the doorway with long, straight black hair. She looked like she was an native just like the others, but she also looked panicked.

"Calm down, sweetie!" The woman tried to placate Isabella and she froze as she heard her own language be spoken by someone other than her sisters for the first time in so long.

"Yo-you speak English?" She nodded and pushed the man's hand away from Isabella. She found herself encased in this woman's arms.

"What is your name?" The woman asked as Isabella looked the man there with fear in her eyes.

"Isabella. He-he was trying to kill me." She pleaded for sanctuary from this man. What kind of man would buy a slave just to kill them? He had to be a total psychopath. The woman led Isabella to a corner in the room away from the man and helped her sit down.

"Please, don't run, alright?" She nodded and the woman turned to her attacker and started to speak in his tongue. He pointed the knife in Isabellas direction and she shrunk away in terror. After a minute of speaking, the woman turned back to her before kneeling in front of Isabella.

"My name is Emily and this is our Chief Consort. He wasn't trying to kill you. He was trying to get you unbound. Your wrists are bleeding and he wanted to tend to your wounds. Did you learn any of our language with those men?" Isabella shook her head and Emily extended her hand to the Chief Consort, requesting the knife from him. "May I…" Isabella took a deep breath and turned her back to Emily. She quickly cut the rope and Isabella gasped from the relief of not having those ropes cutting into her wrists. "How long have you been with those men, Isabella?" She gulped as she pulled her arms out from behind her back and saw the deep cuts covering her wrists. She would surely have scars covering them once they healed.

"I lost track. My sisters and I were the last that they hadn't sold." Her sisters! She became panicked. "I need to get to my sisters, please! They are the only family I have left! Please, don't take them from me!" Isabella pleaded with tears in her eyes and Emily placed a sympathetic hand on Isabella's arm.

"Were your sisters sold?" Isabella quickly shook her head.

"No, they were being sold off when I was. Please, I _need_ to be with my sisters!" She tried to stand, but Emily kept her down before turning to her Chief Consort. She reiterated everything Isabella had just told her, he nodded, and jogged out of his hut. "What was that?" Isabella questioned and Emily gave her a smile.

"He's gonna see if he can stop them and get your sisters." Isabella was so overjoyed that she hugged Emily out of instinct.

"Thank you." Isabella cried in Emily's arms for a moment before Emily pulled away. She grabbed the bowl of water by the bed and brought it over to Isabella.

"Here, drink." She sipped at the cool, refreshing water slowly, pacing herself. "I don't know why you think our Chief Consort bought you from those men, but I assure you it wasn't for whatever you are thinking." Isabella shivered from whatever possibilities it could be.

"We were told by the others that we were being solid to be servants or mistresses which is why they had to make sure we were pure." Emily's eyes widened as she gasped.

"Oh, you poor dear. Our Chief has forbidden everyone from buying anyone from those scoundrels. He doesn't believe in their slavery trade. The Chief Consort bought you to protect you from their cruelty. He's never done that before. In my opinion, I think he might just be attracted to you, but I could be wrong." Isabella blushed in embarrassment when she said this and continued to drink silently.

"Well, I'm gonna go fetch you some food. Please, don't run off. No one here means you any harm." Isabella nodded and relaxed when she was finally alone for the first time in months at the very least.

 **Thanks for reading. Let me know your thought. Leave me lots of love. Please forgive any mistakes. This story doesn't have a beta yet.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Two**

Isabella wasn't alone for long before she heard her name being called in her sister's voices. Her heart jumped with joy as the two girls bursted through the beaded doorway. She lacked the strength to stand up, her body was weakened from lack of food and her fight with the Chief Consort took the last of her strength.

Angela and Carmen raced to their sister and threw their arms around her. The Chief Consort stood by the doorway and watched as the three sisters hugged and cried together.

"We thought we would never see you again!" Angela cried as the three girls held each other.

"Did they hurt you?" Carmen inquired like the protective eldest sibling she was and Isabella shook her head.

"I'm okay. I swear." Angela and Carmen pulled back from their sister and looked her over.

"What is going on? They had us in the wagon then that man came and brought us back here." Isabella took a deep breath.

"I could explain better." The voice of Emily came from the doorway as she walked in with a big bowl of fruit and strolled over to the girls. "Pace yourself with this. We don't want you girls getting sick." Emily sat down in front of the three girls and Angela and Carmen cowered closer to their youngest sister.

"This is Emily. She's not going to hurt us." Isabella received a smile from the kind, Quileute woman before returning a weak one. Each girl grabbed an apple and started to slowly nibble on it.

"What's going on?" Angela asked while trembling. Emily quickly turned to the Chief Consort and questioned him about what he did when he left. He gave her his answer. With a relieved sigh, she turned and gave the girls the news.

"This is the Chief Consort of our village. He is appalled by the whole slavery trade those men have going on, but he purchased Isabella from them to protect her from their cruelty." Angela and Carmen looked around Emily at the Chief Consort to see him standing in the same spot, arms crossed his bulging chest, a serious expression marring his face. "Isabella told me and I told it to him in the tribal language that she didn't want to be without either of you. He went to Salan, the head of the men who held you, and purchased both of you as well so you wouldn't be separated." All three girls were amazed by this. Why would this man do this for some strange, white girls?

"Why?" Isabella asked and Emily reiterated the question to the Chief Consort. He spoke back in his own tongue, motioning from himself to Isabella. Emily giggled before looking back at the girls.

"What did he say?" Angela asked quietly and Emily gave a small smile.

"His exact words were 'a gift from me to you.'" Angela was confused by this as was Carmen.

"A gift?" Isabella knew exactly what the Chief Consort was saying and her heart wrenched at the realization after being a prisoner for so long.

"Our freedom." Isabella whispered and Emily nodded.

"You mean, we don't have to stay here if we don't want to?" Carmen asked, anxiety clear in her voice.

"Of course, you don't." Emily said before speaking to the Chief Consort. He said something to her, but the meaning was lost to the sisters. "The Chief Consort said 'you are free to stay if you wish or leave if that is what you want, but if you leave, I can't guarantee you won't be captured by Salan and his thugs again.' Those were his exact words." Isabella, Carmen, and Angela looked between each other with wonder. They were being offered sanctuary from those men who killed their parents. They could accept it or take their chances on the long journey home.

"What about Eleazar and Ben?" Carmen asked with a sorrowful frown and Isabella groaned.

"You do realize that by now they both are probably married and moved on?" Isabella grumbled and Angela and Carmen leaned on their sister. "I would like to stay, but we do not know the language at all. I thought the Chief Consort was going to kill me when he only wanted to cut the rope off my hands." Angela snickered for the first time in months at how naive her sister was. Isabella was young and jumped to conclusions sometimes.

"Aw, Bella." This was a name only Carmen and Angela called her by. Their mother and father thought it was childish not to call her by her full name. Honestly, she preferred Bella because it wasn't such a stiff name as Isabella.

"I can teach you our language. It would take some time, but you could easily get the hang of it. Your language, on the other hand, is hard to learn. I am the village interpreter so I have to be fluent in both. What do you girls say?" Isabella blushed and bit her lip before looking between her sisters. Both smiled encouragingly before Isabella looked back to Emily.

"Yes, we would prefer to stay here." She spoke, her voice soft and sweet.

"I'm glad to hear. What are your names?" Emily looked to Angela and Carmen. They introduced themselves and Emily gave a sweet smile. "I'm glad to meet all three of you. We are going to need to get all of you cleaned up, but first…" Emily moved to her feet and stood by the Swan sisters, facing the Chief Consort. She spoke to him briefly, earning a nod and a small smile shot at Isabella. She pointed down at each girl. "Angela, Carmen….Isabella." She stopped at Isabella and his eyes zoomed in on her. He uncrossed his arms and slowly approached. He extended his hand to just her and she was reluctant, but placed her hand in his. He helped her stand and he tucked her hair behind her ear before taking her hand and pressing it against her chest.

"Isabella." She nodded, a strange feeling brought on by him saying her name, then he pressed her hand to his bare chest through his vest. Dear god, this man was surely muscular. "Jacob." Her eyes met his and her breath caught in her throat when he spoke his name.

"Jacob." She spoke it herself and he nodded with a small smile. He looked to Emily, spoke for a minute, before he looked back to Isabella. He grabbed her hand and gently kissed the top of her hand before releasing it and leaving through the doorway.

She couldn't explain that. She wasn't even sure herself what all of that was about. He seemed so sweet and caring then when he had seemed all serious before. Was he possibly Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

"I think he was just flirting with you." Angela giggled before her and Carmen stood up with the help of Emily.

"He was for sure," Emily said sweetly before Isabella looked to them with embarrassed eyes.

"Does he do that a lot?" Carmen question and Emily snickered before shaking her head.

"No, she is lucky she got that much. Usually, he just nods." Emily joked about Jacob and Isabella giggled to herself. "I'm gonna take you girls to get cleaned up now." The three sisters nodded and followed close to Emily as they left the hut.

* * *

"What were you thinking, Jacob!" The Chief screamed at his disobedient son who still stood tall before him. "You broke my rule! You not only bought one of Salan's slaves, but three of them, in front of the entire village! Now, everyone is going to think it is okay!" Billy was usually not one to yell at anyone, but he was livid. Jacob wasn't one to disobey any of the rules. He followed orders, didn't challenge his father's authority, and made sure others did the same. He learned well as the Chief Consort and Billy was proud that he would someday be leading their people.

"I will not apologize for doing what I felt was right."

"Doing what you feel is right is good in certain situations like hunting and fighting, but when it comes to rules I have set in place as Chief, you need to obey them just as much as everyone else or it looks like I'm playing favorite. If anyone else did what you did today, they would be receiving severe punishment. Not only did you _purchase_ those pale faces, you _instigated_ a fight with Salan and _offered_ these strangers sanctuary. _Sanctuary_ , Jacob!" Still, Jacob didn't flinch at the angry words from his father. His stance remained tall as if he were the Chief and Billy was the Consort.

"What would you have expected me to do? Allow him to keep beating those women until they died from it? I knew I did the right thing here." Billy scowled at his son.

"In the wrong situation, Jacob!" He was getting irritated by his father's hardheadedness. "You don't understand the consequences of what you have done. The entire village will start questioning my leadership. I have already heard it from the Elders about you disregarding my rules. When I step down, you will be the Chief of the tribe and it's about time you started acting like it. You are seventeen years old for crying out loud!" Jacob's stern expression intensified and his eyes narrowed into a heavy scowl.

"I am acting like a Chief!" Billy went silent from his son's outburst. "I stood up for what was right. Whether they are a part of our tribe or not, they were on Quileute lands and anyone here deserves our help when needed. They weren't asking for any damn handouts. All they wanted was to be together, with their family! You are the one who taught me that family was above everything and no woman deserves to be treated like property, but like a fucking human being. So, please, explain to me how I wasn't acting like Chief by protecting those who were in need of our protection." Billy was taken aback by his son's statement. He knew Jacob was right in everything he said. A true Chief would help anyone on his tribe's land who needed it.

"I understand why you did what you did, son, but you can't just break the rules. When a Chief breaks the rules, he sets a bad example for his people. You must do the right thing in a way that doesn't break the rules."

"That was impossible in this situation. There was no way to help those women while following your rules without having to fight those thugs. In that case, you know as well as I that Salan isn't the only one like him and we don't want to fight with every slave trader that sides with him. Plus, that would put more people in danger than need be. I made the best decision I could without putting our tribe at risk. Offering those women sanctuary was the only way to make sure it wasn't all for naught." Jacob gave a calmer explanation though his face still showed he was angered by his father's accusation of not behaving like a Chief. He made the right decision for his tribe and for Isabella and her sisters.

 _Isabella_. His emotions calmed when he thought her name. That woman was definitely emotionally battered by whatever she had endured. The moment the bag was pulled off her head, something snapped in him, something he couldn't explain for it had never happened to him before. He felt an overwhelming protectiveness for this beauty and he didn't understand it. He couldn't even speak to her due to the language barrier. He had tried with all his might to talk with her, but it was to no avail. He couldn't let her leave with those thugs. It would have been something he would have regretted for the rest of his life. He was sure her face would have haunted his dreams for he had never seen a women that held so much natural beauty.

"How are the women?" He heard his father's voice and it broke him out of his Isabella haze.

"Emily is tending to them. They seemed very confused when I left." The Chief nodded when his son said this,

"Alright. Tonight, you will make a statement to our village to explain why you disobeyed the rules so there won't be any uprising among the tribe." Jacob understanding of this and did not argue. He just nodded.

"Anything else?" He asked in a calm voice and Billy nodded.

"One last thing. You need to choose a wife, son." This is the very conversation that always got Jacob riled up. It's not that he didn't want a wife and a family of his own, he did very much, but he hadn't met any woman in their village who he felt that way about. He didn't want to choose a wife that he didn't actually want to be with.

"Not this again." He groaned in response.

"Jacob, you know the rules. You have to choose a wife before your eighteenth year and it's fast approaching. If you don't have one by then, your title as Chief Consort will be transferred to your brother and we all know that you would be a much better leader than Embry would. He's a follower, not Chief material."

"I'm not going to marry someone I don't actually want. Stop pushing it. When I find the person I want to spend my life with, you will know it."

"You better find her fast, then. Our tribe should be your number one priority." Jacob knew it would be when he was Chief, but for now, his priority was Isabella and her sisters.

* * *

Isabella slowly looked herself over. It had been so long since she had seen her alabaster skin from all the dirt and grime that had collected on her over the months without being allowed to so much as just stand in the rain to clean herself. Her hair was no longer matted and her straight, dark brown hair was in two side braids, laying on her shoulders.

The clothes that Emily had supplied her with fit perfectly. They didn't accent her figure like the kind of clothes she was used to. The dress was a beige leather and it only went to her knees. The sleeves hung off her shoulders and went to her elbows. She was given a pair of sandals made with the same material as her dress.

The clothes were much lighter than the corsets and tight dresses she was used to.

"Goodbye, corsets! Eh, Bella?" Angela teased her sister before hugging her, wearing a similar outfit to Isabella.

"Bella?" Emily asked and Isabella blushed.

"Carmen and Angela have called me that since we were kids. I like it better than Isabella, but my parents said it was too childish to be taken seriously." She shrugged it off and Emily giggled.

"I like Bella better, too. You're not in your town anymore. You can be called whatever you like here." This was a refreshing idea. Not having to be dragged down by the hideous name of Isabella would be a big relief.

"Then, I want to be called Bella." Carmen and Angela flashed big smiles before hugging their sister. "Bella has always seemed more….me, anyways." Bella was happy with her new name.

"Bella it is, then." Emily gently patted Bella's pack as all three sisters smiled at her.

"We can't thank you enough for helping us get cleaned up." Angela was very grateful to Emily as was Carmen.

"It has been so long since we have felt this good. We are so used to the tight clothes we always had to wear." Carmen was struggling to adjust to not having the life squeezed out of her by her corset.

"You're welcome. Now, come on. It took a while to clean you ladies up. We need to hurry or we will be late for the nightly feast." All three girls were amazed by this.

"Nightly feast?" Bella asked softly and Emily nodded.

"Yes, every night the whole village eats together. Tonight, though, we are celebrating your freedom. It is tradition." The sisters were nervous about this and Emily caught on. "Don't worry. Most of the village will leave you be to do your own thing." The girls relaxed and followed Emily out of the hut they had been in. "How young are you ladies?" Emily asked and all three blushed.

"I'm nineteen." Carmen confessed.

"I'm seventeen." Angela was next.

"Sixteen." Bella rubbed her arms nervously when she revealed her age. Emily gave her an encouraging smile before rubbing her back.

"You ladies are at a good age. You are welcome to find yourselves a husband within our village. Most of the unmarried men in our village will probably be fighting for your attention." Emily teased them and Bella blushed at this. "I am pretty sure the Chief Consort will have his eye _only_ on you, Bella." She was amazed by this statement from Emily.

"Why would you say that? He's married, isn't it?" Bella tried to deny that he had flirted with her even so subtly as he did. She had men flirt with her before, but none of them got the reaction out of her that Jacob did.

"No, he is not. He's not as old as you would think. He is only seventeen." This was amazing for Bella to hear. He looked way beyond his years, but maybe it was just his wisdom that did this.

"He does look way older than that." Angela shrieked a little before shaking Bella's arm.

"Bella, there's your _savior_." Angela teased her and Bella lifted up her gaze to see Jacob talking to someone, standing up against one of the small huts. He seemed calm and relaxed. He did look younger than before. Maybe it was the lack of light in his hut.

She hadn't really thought about his looks earlier, it was really dark, and she was weakened, but now that she saw him, smiling and relaxed. She could see that he was very attractive. Defined jawline, full lips, long eyelashes that cascaded shadows down his cheeks, brilliant white smile, and god, his eyes were so perfect. Dark brown, almost black irises seemed to pull her in, but she held this physical attraction she had to him at bay.

Jacob looked to her as the girls started to pass him. He gave her a soft smile and she blushed, bowing her head a little, before raising it slightly and giving him a shy smirk. Could he have known she had been staring at him? She really hoped he didn't. That would be embarrassing. It wasn't like she could explain it away. Even if she could find the words, she still could speak his language yet.

"You little flirt!" Carmen exclaimed at her sister as Emily giggled.

"I didn't do anything." Bella spoke softly as her sisters scoffed.

"We saw that look you gave him. That whole 'oh, I'm so shy, but hey, I think you're attractive, too' thing you just did." Bella stuttered for a moment as the other ladies laughed.

"I was being polite. He smiled so I smiled back." She wasn't used to being attracted to someone and it was embarrassing that other people knew she found her Protector to be attractive.

None of them were buying her explanation, but they didn't say anything as the four women continued to walk over to the nightly feast.

 **Thanks for reading. Let me know your thought. Leave me lots of love. Please forgive any mistakes. This story doesn't have a beta yet.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Three**

It had been a month since Bella, Angela, and Carmen arrived at the Quileute village that had now become their home. All of their teachings had been circled around the language. Emily figured it would take longer than a month to teach, but the Swan sisters were very fast learners. Now, they only saved speaking English when it was just the three of them.

The tribe was nice enough to build a hut for the three sisters to live in until they found husbands of their own. Jacob was always there to help along with his younger brother, Embry, and some of his close friends, Sam, Jared, and Brady. Brady seemed to have grown quite attached to Carmen, following her around like a lost puppy and asking if she needed anything. The eldest sister milked up the attention. Embry liked to be around Angela which no one was sure if it was for romantic reasons or not. Embry wasn't someone to open up very much which was odd since he latched onto the most open and honest of the sisters.

Through the months time, Jacob and Bella didn't say much to each other, even with Emily's assistance. The language barrier didn't stop the flirtatious looks they sent back and forth. Most around them knew it was only a matter of time before they spoke and courted to each other.

Bella was at the river, struggling to wash her clothes by hand as she hummed to herself. She was so used to using a washboard when she helped her mother with laundry, she didn't realized exactly how much of a chore it really was.

Jacob was riding his horse through the woods, searching for something to hunt as a means to distract himself from his everyday issues as the Chief Consort when heard an angelic hum coming from the river. He got off his horse and strolled in the direction to find Bella sitting on the river bank, water up to her waist, washing her clothes.

He loved to see her alabaster skin shimmer in the dim sunlight. He had never seen anyone with such light skin before he saw her all cleaned up. She was so beautiful. Her hair was on one shoulder in a single braid as she scrubbed her clothes.

 _Why do you have to be so beautiful?_ He thought before slowly approaching. "Bella." He spoke her name and she stilled, snapping her head towards him. She blushed when she saw him there, as glorious as ever. He wore his normal get-up, his vest open across his chest and his pants going halfway down his calves.

"Jacob." She softly acknowledged him as he finished his approach and leaned down to the ground above the water. He had been waiting for the opportunity to get her alone so he could get to know her away from the prying eyes of her sisters.

"How are you today?" She giggled before looking up above the tree tops, seeing the sun glimmering above.

"The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. Today couldn't be a better day." She gave a joyful response and he chuckled.

"You seem to be struggling a little there." He pointed out to the laundry she was scrubbing.

"I'm not quite used to doing this by hand." He sat down his bow and quiver before he moved into the water with her. She was confused by his until he sat behind her, placing his legs beside hers and placed his hands over hers.

"You aren't doing it right by the way. You'll be here all day if you are doing it like that." He whispered in her ear and she snickered. He helped her rub the fabric together in a circular motion and she nodded.

"Now, I see what I was doing wrong." He chortled in her ear as he continued to assist her. He liked having an excuse to touch her hand without it seeming too intimate.

"Did you have something that washed them for you back in your village?" He questioned and she shook her head.

"No, we had washboards that we rubbed the clothes against to get them clean. I used to help my mother with the wash. With five of us, she was overwhelmed by the amount of clothes to wash so I would lend a hand as much as I could. Carmen helped with the food, Angela helped with the cleaning, and I helped with the laundry." She missed those days of carefree chores with her mother.

Sadness filled her as she thought of her mother and she squinted to stop herself from crying.

"The five of you?" He asked and she nodded.

"Me, Angela, Carmen, my mother, and….my father." Her heart clenched at the thought of her protective, caring, respectful father. Their deaths were senseless. There was no gain by them dying. "My father was a very respected man in our town. He was our-our…" She couldn't figure out the word. She hadn't been taught Sheriff in Quileute which probably meant that they didn't have such a word.

"Your what?" He asked as he continued to guide her hands against the fabric.

"I wasn't taught the word for it. In my language it's 'Sheriff', but I'm not sure you have a word for it."

"What's a 'Sheriff'?" He asked in a sweet voice and she smiled to herself.

"The 'Sheriff' is the person in the town that makes sure everyone follows the rules and punishes them when they don't." Jacob nodded. He understood now.

"Like the Chief?" Bella giggled and shook her head.

"The leader in our town is called the 'Mayor' and he only makes the rules. It's the job of the 'Sheriff' to enforce them. They work together. It's a very different system there than it is here." He chuckled before pressing his chin to her shoulder, relaxing against her. It felt like a very intimate gesture, but she welcomed it.

"So, your father was the 'Sheriff'?" Jacob questioned and she nodded with a smile on her face.

"My father was highly respected, but also ridiculed by the townspeople because of his beliefs." She stated as he gently released her hands and she started to wash the fabric on her own.

"You've got it." She giggled when he said this to her and just rubbed her forearms gently. "Why was your father ridiculed?" He questioned and she gulped.

"Because he believed that there was enough land for everyone to use and the townspeople shouldn't just attack someone because they thought certain people didn't belong." He was confused by what she had said, but he didn't push it. He could tell something about it had her upset and he didn't like seeing her like that.

"Where are your parents?" He asked softly and she gulped before stopping her scrubbing. She leaned back into his chest as a means of comfort and he stayed still, only rubbing her arms.

"Dead. My mother and my father." He gasped when she said this.

"How?" Tears filled her eyes, but they did not spill.

"It was a nice clear day out. We lived out East in the home I grew up in right outside of town. My father said he would rather us be raised on the outskirts instead amongst all the madness that came with so many people living so close together." He stayed silent as she spoke and she took a deep breath. "We decided to take a day off from all chores and my father put his co-worker in charge of things while he spent a day with us, his family. My mother and I cooked a nice little feast and sat down to enjoy our meal at our little table out in the front yard.

"We were laughing and talked, having so much fun together...until _they_ showed up." She paused as Jacob listened to her woeful tale. "Five men came riding up with a wagon in tow. We weren't expecting any company and no….I'm not sure the word in your language. It's people with your skin color." She reached over and rubbed his arm as he continued to rub hers.

"We call ourselves Natives." She nodded before sighing.

"No natives ever came to our house. Near our town, they just steered clear of everyone. They kept to themselves." Jacob nodded and continued to listen. "One of the men, the biggest one of them, jumped off his horse and shot my father with his bow instantly." Jacob gasped at this. What reasoning could there be to do this? There was no threat of danger. Still, Jacob didn't interrupt. "We were so confused by what was happening. A lot of it was a blur, really. Each of them men grabbed us. One held me, one held Carmen, one held Angela, and one held my mother while their leader _examined_ us." Bella was repulsed by the term, but she couldn't think of another word to describe how she had been violated.

"Examined?" He asked and she nodded.

"We didn't know why he did it, but he stuck his hand up our dresses and _touched_ us." Jacob stiffened at this. "He didn't say anything, but when he got to my mother, he just shook his head when he did that to her." Jacob didn't say anything, but he wanted to scream and shout about how despicable that behavior was, touching a woman like that against her will.

 _Of all the indignities!_ He yelled in his head, but still, stayed quiet.

"When he did that, the man who was holding my mother threw her down against the table we had been eating at and forced himself into her." This just made him even angrier. How could someone do something like this. Women were meant to be loved, cherished, and respected, not treated in such vile ways. "When he was done, their leader slit her throats and they dragged me and my sisters away after forcing us to watch what they did to my mother." His anger left and sorrow filled his heart for this woman. She seemed so strong and sweet, but she endured so much tragedy.

"Did they do _that_ to you?" She shook her head and resumed washing the dress in her hand.

"No, they didn't touch me or my sisters unless we spoke. Then, they would hit us along with the other women that had to endure the same thing as us. My family wasn't the first or only one they did that to. There had to be at least a dozen families they did that to between mine and you buying me and my sisters from them." Jacob gasped as she said this.

"Salan did that?" She nodded.

"I didn't know why until much later. One of the women he took spoke their language and told us when the men were sleeping that they only wanted women who had not yet been bedded by a man which is the only reason me and my sisters are alive right now." He was amazed by this. He figured there had to be a husband out there waiting for her. Someone as sweet and as beautiful as her had to have been courted to. Why wouldn't she be married?

"You've never been married?" She bit her lip and shook her head. "You didn't have any offers?" She giggled to herself before looking at him over her shoulder.

"I had many offers, but my father wasn't like other men. He left the choice up to me to who I would choose as my husband. There weren't any men in my town who tickled my fancy. Anytime they asked, my answer was always no. I wasn't going to marry someone I didn't want to be with, spend my life with, bear their children." He smiled when she said this. She was in the exact same boat as him. He refused to court someone he didn't actually want to spend his life with.

"Those are things you want, though, right?" She nodded enthusiastically before she snickered and turned a little towards him.

"What kind of woman would I be if I didn't want a husband, someone I loved for who he is and loved me exactly how I am, someone to grow old with, or if I didn't want to have children?" He chuckled and his hand came up and stroked her cheek.

"Not all women want that." He whispered her breath caught from the intimate way he touched her and was staring at her.

Carmen and Angela were going for a stroll through the woods when they caught sight of Bella and Jacob, sitting in the water. Their sister was staring at him with his hand pressed to her cheek while he stared right back.

"Oh, my god. Look." Carmen whispered as she grabbed Angela's arm, halting her. Angela looked in their direction and gasped quietly before putting her hand over her heart.

"They look so cute together." Both sisters giggled as Carmen grabbed Angela's arm.

"Let's not interrupt. Come on." They quietly went back the way they came as Bella blushed and pulled away from his hand, biting her lip.

"I'm not all women." She shrugged before looking at him. He was smiling at her with such a carefree spirit within his eyes.

"I can tell." She flushed harder when he said this to her and he chuckled from how adorable she was when she blushed like that. "What are you looking for in a husband? I can point you in the right direction." He teased her when really he wanted to know for his own sake. His father wanted him to choose a wife, but the only person closing to winning his heart was right in front of him. If he asked anyone to be his wife, it would be Bella.

"I just want a man who wants me for me." His eyes narrowed, not fully understanding what she meant. "All the men who have asked to court me never even spoke to me before going to my father. They just looked at me and thought I was pretty enough. I don't want a man as my husband that wants me because they like how I look. One day, when I'm much older, I won't look like this anymore and I don't want to marry a man who won't want me anymore just because I'm not attractive enough to them anymore. I want a husband who wants me for who I am in here." She placed her hand over her heart and his heart couldn't have grown anymore than it in did that moment for her.

Most women wanted to be complimented for their looks, but not this one. She wanted someone who saw her for more than skin deep. She was definitely a lot different from any woman he knew.

"You will need to be more specific than that. This village isn't shallow like that at all. We go for spiritual connection instead of physical attraction when it comes to choosing our spouse." She smiled at this. She had been worried that, if Jacob did have feelings for her, he might pursue her just because he found her attractive. She did want him to pursue her. She wasn't sure if this was him pursuing her, but she hoped it was.

"What about you? Why aren't you married?" She asked and he chuckled before flashing her his bright smile.

"Same reason as you. I haven't found a woman I would want to spend the rest of my life with. There is only one woman close to winning my heart, but I am not sure if she feels the same way as I do for her." He was talking about her and she felt the insinuation. She blushed before looking at him through her long eyelashes.

"I don't see a reason why she wouldn't." He smirked when she said this, acknowledging the way she felt about him without actually saying it. She felt embarrassed when she realized he was looking at her like he was madly in love with her. She stopped scrubbing the dress in her hand and started to slowly stand up, droplets dripping from her dress. "But, no two hearts are the same. What do I know? I'm just a hopeless romantic, I guess." She tried to shrug off her stupid statement. How could she embarrass herself like that, making it plain as day that she liked Jacob? She didn't know much about him, but he was kind, caring, and had a lot of empathy. If she knew nothing else about him, this was what she knew and it was all she needed to know to like him as a person.

"What is that?" He stood up as she shook off the water of the dress she had been washing.

"A hopeless romantic?" He nodded when she glanced to him. She pulled the dress to her chest before letting out a deep breath. "It's ah….a hopeless romantic is someone who believes everyone deserves love and will find it when the timing is right." He smirked when she said this. She wrung the water out of the dress and took a step, but tripped when a rock under her foot slid in the river bank. She shrieked and was surprised when Jacob caught her with his quick reflexes.

She stared up into his eyes as he stared back down at her.

"When the timing is right." He whispered before he helped her stand back up.

"Yes." Her nerves were shot. The tension between them was thick and she wasn't sure if he could feel it, too. He did, though. She was sure if she stood there with him any longer she would surely make a fool of herself and never be able to look him in the eye again. "Thank you for your help, but I need to go hang this up to dry." She slowly back away from him before giving him a shy smile. "Goodbye, Jacob." He smirked at her happily before waving.

"Goodbye, Bella." She nodded, turned, and retreated in the direction of her hut. She was happy for their talk, but extremely embarrassed by her making it very apparent that she liked him. She felt so stupid! He might not have even been talking about her at all!

Bella hung up her dress on the clothesline outside as Angela and Carmen poked their heads out with big smiles on their faces.

"You better spill, little missy!" Carmen said and Bella was confused as they pulled her into their hut.

"What is going on?" She groaned and both girls looked to her excited.

"Don't act all innocent. We saw you at the river with _Jacob_." Bella blushed when they said his name. "You guys were all touching on each other and huddled together. You better tell us everything!" Angela screeched in excitement and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Nothing happened. We just talked, like two normal human beings." She sneered before walking over to her bed and taking a seat on the animal fur

"That was more than just talking. Spill!" Carmen pushed and Bella scowled at her.

"I said _nothing_ happened! Leave me alone about it." Bella warned them with her voice and they rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but you better not get married before I do or I will be very disappointed." Angela teased before her and Carmen left the hut and Bella laid down again her animals furs.

Her marry Jacob? She couldn't see him on her arm. It's not that she didn't want him, but she thought he deserved better than her, prettier than her, smarter than her, more tan than her. She was worried he might be frowned on for wanting her, if he actually wanted her.

She wanted him to like her, but she also knew she didn't live in a fairytale where her Prince Charming would come sweep her off her feet and ride off into the sunset with her. This was real life and she couldn't understand why in any reality Jacob, the Chief Consort, would want a woman like her by his side.

* * *

Jacob rubbed his hands against his pants nervously as he walked out of the river bank and back towards his horse. He straddled the beast and rode towards the Chief's hut that he shared with Jacob's mother, Sarah.

He quickly jumped down as he made it there and raced into the hut. He found his father and mother sitting casually on their marital bed. Sarah flashed a big smile towards her eldest son before she jumped up and hugged him.

"Jacob, what do we own the pleasure of you visiting us?" She pulled back and he gave her a loving smile.

"Can I have a minute alone with my father, please?" She nodded and gave her a son a kiss on the cheek before leaving the hut.

"What can I do for you, son?" Billy asked as he clasped his hands over his knees, waiting for his son's reply.

"Do you remember how you said I needed to choose a wife before the beginning of my eighteenth year?" Billy nodded, unsure of where his son was going with this. He swore, if his son was going to attempt to change tradition because he was so hardheaded, he had another thing- "I found the woman I want as my wife." _Wait, what?_

"What did you say?" Jacob smiled in spite of himself.

"I know the woman I want to be my wife, the mother of my children, my other half." Billy had never been more proud of his son as he was in that moment. Billy was not a very physical affection man with his children, but in that moment, he jumped out of his seat and graced his son with a hug.

"I am so proud of you, my son." Jacob chortled as he stepped back from his father and Billy seemed overly excited. "Well, who is she?"

"Bella." Billy's face instantly fell. He had no issues with the girl, but others were a different story.

"The white woman." He groaned before stepping back. Jacob could not see his father's issue.

"What is the problem?" Billy wanted to find a way to explain himself without sounding judgmental, but he knew there was no way to keep it from coming out that way.

"Son, there is nothing wrong with her. She has a very kind, good heart, but…" He trailed off, worried about angering his son.

"But, what?" Jacob pressed and Billy sighed.

"Others might not be so accepting of you and Bella being husband and wife. You are going to be the next Chief of our tribe and she is a white woman you bought from the slave trade. Do you see where the issue would lie with some of our people?" Jacob was silently seething over this. "Not only is it that she is a white woman you want as your wife, which some of the Elders would say you were diluting your bloodline, but you have been in close proximity to that woman since you bought her. It looks _really_ bad from the outside, Jacob." Billy stopped to give his son time to absorb what he had just been told, but he knew Jacob had a temper. He was trying not to push it. "I have no issues with it, son. I'm sure Bella would do you some good and be a great woman to help you in leading our tribe as the next Chief's wife, but there are people that might not see it the way I do, the way you do. Just prepare yourself for the scrutiny." Jacob groaned and nodded. He wasn't going to argue about this. It wasn't worth fighting about other people's possible opinions.

"I don't care what other people think." Billy smiled at his son's maturity.

"Good. That's all that matters." Jacob relaxed when his father said this. "Have you asked her or did you just come here to warn me?" Jacob sighed and shook his head.

"She needs time before I do. I can tell she isn't sure that I want her for the person she is. I need to prove myself to her before I make that leap to ask her to be my wife." Billy nodded and patted his son's shoulder.

"These things always take time. Spend some time with her and you'll know when she is ready. If I were you, I would make sure she knows how you feel about her so she doesn't lose faith." And that was exactly what he planned to do.

 **Thank you everyone for reading this! I've always wanted to do a Old West story and this just seemed like the right idea to go with. How long do you think Jacob should wait to ask her? What should she say? What will others think?**

 **Spoiler:**

 **Visitors come through. Who are they and what do they want?**

 **The Swan sisters learn the ways of the tribe.**

 **Bella is offered a job within the tribe. What will it be?**

 **Bella and Jacob discuss children. What will the outcome of this discussion be?**

 **Let me know your thoughts and leave me some love!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Four**

Emily walked into the hut belonging to the Swan sisters. All three girls were up and awake. They weren't sure what to do for the day or what Emily had planned for them, but they wanted to be ready when she came.

"How did you ladies sleep last night?" They shrugged nonchalantly before standing up from their beds. "God, well, today I have a lot planned and I enlisted the help of an assistant today who will be able to help." Just then, Jacob walked in and both Angela and Carmen giggled, looking to their sister. She shot them death glares and Jacob enjoyed the silent sibling banter.

"Hello, Bella." Jacob said and she gave him a small grin.

"Morning, Jacob." He nodded before looking to Emily.

"Our Chief Consort will be helping out today. We have a lot to go over and I don't want to tire you out too much so let's get moving." The girls nodded and made their way out of the hut. Carmen and Angela walked alongside Emily as Jacob stuck to Bella's side.

"How are you doing?" He asked and she giggled before smirking at me.

"I am well, thank you. Do you know what kind of things she has planned?" He nodded with a big smile.

"Yes, but my lips are sealed. Don't worry. She won't have you do anything too embarrassing. It's just basically teaching you the things that need to be done in the village and the responsibilities everyone has. We all pull our load so we can stay fully functioning as a whole. We try to keep everyone's responsibility small so they don't overexert themselves." Bella thought this was very logical. She wondered why the town she came from didn't do this very thing. Everyone always seemed so overworked and out of energy there.

"I'm gonna trust you. Don't make me regret it." She teased him and he smirked happily at her. Bella listened as her sisters giggled before glancing at them over their shoulder.

" _Love is in the air_!" Carmen gushed and Bella was so glad she said it in English instead of the native Quileute language. She definitely didn't want Jacob to hear what her sister had just said. She would have been mortified.

" _I completely agree_." Bella couldn't believe that Emily was actually agreeing with Carmen.

" _Stop it, alright_." Bella warned them before she noticed the questioning look on Jacob's face as he glanced between them all.

"What was that?" Jacob asked, confused and Bella flushed.

"Nothing, just a little comment my sister made." She tried to shrug it off, but he could see she was bothered by whatever was said. He didn't question it though. He wasn't going to take the chance of embarrassing her in front of her siblings.

Emily guided them to a clearing where there was a large sack with what looked like circles painted on it. There was a very tiny circle and each one around it was bigger and bigger than the last one. She wasn't sure what this thing was so she waited for an explanation.

"You ladies are going to be learning archery today." Angela gasped at this.

"But, why?" She inquired and Emily giggled. Jacob moved before all three sisters and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Archery is a crucial part of being a part of our community. Everyone carries their own weight, this includes if the village is attacked. In the event that this happens, every adult works to protect our home. This includes men and women. You need to know how to protect yourself." Jacob spoke like a true leader and Bella felt proud of him for this. She looked to her sisters. Carmen was indifferent about it, but Angela looked frightened.

"But…" She trailed off and Bella laughed.

"Come on. Don't be such a baby." Angela scowled at her younger sister.

"I am not a baby!" She retorted and Bella rolled her eyes.

"Really? Prove it." Jacob chortled as he pulled off his quiver and pulled out his bow.

"Who wants to go first?" Bella pushed Angela out of the line and the middle sister grumbled. "Great! A volunteer!" Jacob teasingly laughed aloud before extending his bow to her. Angela took it with a gentle hand and Jacob moved her by grasping her shoulders to stand in the right spot. He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and handed to her. "Aim at the target." He pointed to the sack and Bella sported an amused smirk as Angela struggled to put it together without dropping the arrow, but failed. Bella snickered at this. Jacob took both from Angela and fired the bow at the target, hitting the smallest circle. Bella and Carmen both gasped when he did this.

"Woah." Bella and Carmen said together as Jacob handed the bow and a new arrow to Angela. They continued for a while until Angela finally got the arrow to hit the target, but it barely got it.

"That's enough for today, Angela. We can do some more tomorrow." Jacob patted her shoulder once before retrieving the bow from her and pulling both arrows out of the target. "Which one of you want to go next?" Both Bella and Carmen were now sitting on the ground in a relaxed slouch as Jacob approached.

"I'll go." Carmen said and jumped to her feet before jogging over to the target. Carmen did pretty well for her first time, only being able to hit the third smallest circle with the arrow before she was done for the day. "Beat that, Bella." Carmen teased her sister before sitting down. Jacob rolled his eyes before waving Bella over. She slowly moved to her feet and strolled over to him.

The smile he gave her was heartstopping.

"I doubt I can beat Carmen's best." She confessed in a low whisper and Jacob chuckled.

"I bet you can. Come on." He handed her the bow and arrow before moving behind her, placing his hands on her waist. Her eyes widened when he did this. He had made sure to keep his distance with Carmen and Angela, but he was practically pressed against her and was touching her hips like it was something he did out of instinct. "Turn your hips this way." He pulled them back towards him and she blushed, squinting her eyes, struggling to hold in a smile. "Spread your legs a little." Now, she had to be as red as a tomato from embarrassment. He had to say that of all things. She looked and saw both Angela and Carmen snickering along with Emily. They all found this to be amusing. "Relax your shoulders." Bella rolled her shoulders a little before taking a deep breath. Jacob placed his hands over hers and positioned the bow and arrow for her before moving his hands back to her waist. "You're still too tense. Take a breath." She did and it didn't work. She tried to think of something relaxing. She remembered how he had basically held her while she told him her sob story. This brought a sense of peace and her body visibly relaxed. "That's it. Now pulled the bow back to your face and line it up with your eyesight." She did as he asked and took a deep breath before his hands ran up her arms for a moment before he whispered in her ear. "And release." She let go of her grip on the arrow and it shot out of the bow, whistling through the air until it hit the very middle circle, penetrating the sack deep.

As soon as she let go of the arrow, the flash of a memory of her father being shot with an arrow whipped through her mind and made her drop the bow with a gasp. She knew she wasn't past what had happened, but she didn't think shooting an arrow would bring forth how traumatic that day was for her.

"You did great." She heard Emily's cheerful voice, but the only person there consciously aware of Bella's terror was Jacob. He could see how stiff she was and how sudden it had come.

"Bella?" He said her name softly before moving to stand in front of her. She flinched before snapping back to reality. "Are you okay?" She bit her lip and nodded almost as if she was pretending it didn't matter.

"Yeah, fine. I didn't mean to drop the bow. It was just a little surprising." She tried to apologize and he shook his head with a sad smile across his lips.

"You don't need to apologize. It's just a bow, Bella. No big deal." She took a deep breath and nodded as he moved out of the way for her to see where her arrow had landed. "Told you." She gasped when she saw that it was inside the smallest circle.

"Oh, my." She smiled and laughed from the accuracy.

"And on your first try." She clapped to herself before giggling.

"Can I go again?" She begged Jacob and he thought this was just so cute. She got a perfect shot three more times before they called it quits on the archery for the day and moved on to the rest of the day.

* * *

The sisters were surprised that when their schooling was over with for the day that they weren't tired, but more energetic. They had learned so much in such a short amount of time and a lot of it was all thanks to Jacob.

He had been moderately helpful to Carmen and Angela, but Bella got special attention and information from him. He was like a lovesick puppy, eager for signs of affection and requitalled love. Bella would talk with him, but when it came to him flirting with her, she would blush and avert her eyes. She wasn't used to feeling the way he made her feel and it was strange to have someone giving her sweet touches and affectionately tucking a stray hair behind her ear when her affection belonged to the man who did those things. When others would try to do this to her back in her hometown, she would shy away, but make sure they knew she wasn't interested. She didn't do that with Jacob and she hoped he noticed, but she also prayed he didn't.

Her own emotions had her confused. She was so embarrassed by her own feelings when she knew they weren't anything to be embarrassed about. She wasn't having sexual fantasies about him! This was just an area that she wasn't used to.

Bella and Jacob were strolled by themselves from the beach back to the village. She had never seen the ocean before and she thought it was heavenly. Her schooling had finished a while before, but she wanted to stay at the beach for a while and Jacob opted to join her.

"You've never seen the ocean before, have you?" Jacob asked and she shook her head.

"No. My family lived too far inland to travel to a beach. I never imagined it could be so beautiful." She confessed and he flashed a big smile.

"It is. Me and my siblings used to play on the beach when I was a child. It was a daily ritual of ours." She liked hearing things like this about him.

"Really?" She asked and he nodded.

"There isn't much else for a child to do in the village other than listen to the Elders legends of our village. Once you become an adult and hear those stories, it starts to become very boring." He was honest and she giggled.

"My mother used to tell us little stories, too. We called them fairy tales. They were all about true love conquering all and things of that sort." He gazed at her curiously as they walked together.

"True love? What's that?" She gasped before looking at him amazed.

"You've never heard of true love?" He shook his head and she bit her lip nervously. "True love is...it's like finding the most perfect person in the world for you that you couldn't possibly love anymore than you already do." He smirked when she said this and he watched her talk about it. "My mother used to say you're true love imprinted on your soul and, no matter how long you are away from your true love, your love for them never dies." She smiled to herself as she remembered all the wonderful stories her mother used to tell her about princes, princesses, castles, and the ultimate love.

"No wonder you're a hopeless romantic." She giggled when he said this and shrugged.

"Everyone wants that. Some people just don't know that they do." She blushed when she said this before looking at him. He was giving her a content smirk. He wanted to hold her hand, pull her into his arms, something so she would know that he liked her, but he was a little nervous to do so.

"Do you want that, true love?" She flushed and played with the end of her braid.

"Don't you?" He chuckled softly before letting out a long breath.

"It would surely be nice, wouldn't it?" She snickered and averted her eyes as they made it to the village. It was dark and she could tell that the majority of the village was at the nightly feast, towards the middle of the village. It was usually booming with laughter, different voices overlapping each other, and people constantly moving about.

She would usually be happy to go to the nightly feast and get to socialize with the few people she actually had a conversation with, but she wanted to relax for a little bit. She knew she could always pick a few apples if she got hungry.

She started to walk towards her hut which confused Jacob.

"Where are you going?" He asked and she looked to him with a small, shy smile.

"I'm not hungry. I'm gonna go to my hut and relax a little bit. Goodnight, Jacob." She strolled to her hut and he knew he needed to make his move. This was the perfect opportunity. They were all alone, everyone was at the nightly feast, and it would be awhile before anyone would come looking for either of them.

"Wait!" He ran up to her and she was confused as she stopped at her doorway.

"What is it?" She asked in her soft, sweet voice and he let out a deep breath.

"Can we go inside and talk for a minute? There's something I want to tell you." She nodded with a small smile. She had no idea what could be on his mind, but she would be a good friend and hear him out.

"Sure, no problem." He held back the beads for her to walk in and she giggled before she moving inside her home. She really wished they had some chairs so they didn't have to jump up and down from the floor to get up. It could be really uncomfortable. She leaned against the wall as she watched him walk in, scanning the room for a moment. She thought he was looking at the simplicity of her home, but he was really trying to find his words.

He knew he couldn't just come out and say 'I love you and I want to spend my life with you. I know you aren't ready yet, but I want you to be my wife when you are'. He wasn't stupid.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" She started to get worried when he stood there silently for so long. When she spoke, he looked to her, his eyes pleading, his stance defeated.

"I-ah-I…" He trailed off, still struggling to find his words. What was wrong with him? Did he suddenly come down with laryngitis?

"You can tell me." She said sweetly before she affectionately touched his arm.

"There is only one way for me to let you know what I need you to know." She nodded, but was overcome with shock when he suddenly kissed her, holding her face in his strong hands. His mouth pressed chaste against hers, his hold on her face not too tight, and his body was almost flush with hers. Once her shock lifted, her eyes drifted and she pressed her mouth back against his, moving in sync with his lips. He tasted so sweet, so warm, so perfect. Her hands clutched onto his vest as a soft moan left her lips.

He was over the moon that she wasn't mad that he kissed her. Sure, it was normal to ask permission before doing this, but he knew that would just embarrass her. Now, he was sure she felt the same way about him as he did for her.

Her hands moved into his hair and clutched the strands as she embraced his kisses, showing him the affection she had for him within her. His arms moved around her waist as he released the kiss. She was dazed by the power behind those sweet, loving kisses he gave her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw he was struggling to breath just as she was. His arms moved away from her waist and he pressed his hands against the wall behind her to steady himself.

"I would have asked permission to do that," he whispered an apology for not doing that. She took a deep breath before looking in his eyes.

"It's better to ask permission than forgiveness." He chuckled choppily before pressing a hand to her cheek.

"I guess you're right…. You know I didn't just do that for the hell of it, right?" He asked as she took a deep breath. She hoped he didn't kiss her just to do it. She wanted him to do it because he liked her.

"Why did you?" Her voice was quiet and low. She was nervous for his answer. What if he didn't like her? She would be completely embarrassed if he just kissed her and it was for some reason other than him liking her the way she tried to deny she liked him.

"Isn't it obvious?" He tilted her chin up before smirking at her. Her lips were slightly parted, soft breaths leaving her lips, and her eyes were focused on his. "I need you to know how I feel about you." She flushed when he said this. "I feel the way I do about you for exactly who you are, not how you look. You're so beautiful, but you are also such an amazing woman, Bella." Her heart was racing out of her chest. She prayed this wasn't a dream and she wouldn't wake up, finding that he never acknowledged his feelings for her. "I'd be an idiot not to feel this way about you." She let out a sigh of relief before placing her hand over his on her cheek. She let out a slight nod as he smirked at her. "Can I kiss you again?" She gulped while staring in his eyes. She only found the truth in the words he spoke lingering there.

"Yes." Her eyes drifted and she waited eagerly for him to kiss her again. His lips formed to her for a sweet, sensual kiss. They continued for what seemed like a while, lost in the feel of each other's lips on their own.

They were broken from their private bubble when he heard the loud laughter of her sisters coming back. He quickly pulled away and both of them struggled to keep their breathing even as he stepped away from her.

Carmen and Angela stepped through the door, snickering to themselves, and saw Jacob and Bella standing awkwardly on Bella's side of the room.

"Are we interrupting something?" Angela probed as Carmen sent Bella an all-knowing look with a crooked smile.

"No, I was actually heading out. I'll see you ladies tomorrow." Angela and Carmen nodded with sweet smiles before looked back to Bella. She flushed and gave him a shy grin. "Goodnight, Bella." She bit her lip and nodded.

"Night, Jacob." He strolled out of their hut and Carmen's jaw dropped when she caught Bella obsessively running her thumb over her bottom lip, looking at the beaded doorway. It didn't take a genius to see what had transpired before they came home.

"What was that?" Angela asked and Bella blushed before Carmen giggled.

"Isn't it obvious? Jacob just kissed our baby sister." Bella bit her lip. She knew there was no point in denying it. They would find out eventually anyways. She nodded with a small smile.

"Oh, my god!" Angela exclaimed and quickly hugged her little sister. "I'm so happy for you!" Bella giggled and shook her head.

"It's not a big deal." She tried to dismiss it for the sake of not having to talk about it, but they could see right through it.

"Bella, that man has been following you around like a little puppy since we got here. Hell, it was you that he bought in the first place. He only got us from Salan to make you happy. He really likes you," Carmen explained to Bella and Angela giggled.

"Yeah, a marriage proposal can't be far behind." She teased before strolling over to her bed.

"What makes you so sure that he would want to marry me?" Bella sneered before sitting on her bed. Bella knew she was pretty and smart, but she still thought most women were better than her, especially for a man as special as Jacob.

"Do you really not listen to any gossip at all?" Carmen laughed aloud and Bella rolled her eyes as she slipped off her sandals. "The whole village knows he wants you to be his wife." This statement made Bella freeze where she was. Her muscles tense from what she heard come from her sister's mouth. "He already told the Chief you are the woman he wants to marry. The whole village is talking about it." Bella's eyes snapped to Carmen in shock.

"What?" She asked and Angela giggled.

"Jacob went to the Chief and told him that he knew what woman he wanted to marry and that it was you, but he knew you needed time before he brought that up and that was what he was going to give you." Bella couldn't believe this. This was like a page out of a fairytale. Her Prince Charming had saved her from the evil villain of their story and now he wanted her to be his wife.

She knew to trust whatever her sisters said because they weren't women who would lie. She felt some hope for the future now. She just hoped that the gossips weren't wrong.

 **Yay! They kissed! Who else is excited?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Five**

It was their day off from their schooling. Carmen and Angela decided to visit the beach, but Bella wanted to go off on her own. She decided to go for a stroll through the village. She hadn't gotten to spend much time with all the villagers except during the nightly feast which everyone was stuffing their faces. Now, she could see all of them working.

She had a joyous smile when she saw all of the wonderful children huddled together, talking amongst themselves. They seemed so happy together, like they were all each other knew. A select few had what looked like knit animals that they were showing off to each other. Only one seemed out of place.

A little girl was sitting a few yards from the other children, holding her little animal flush against her chest. This cute little child had her hair back in side braids and she looked so sad, lonely. Her eyes were to her knees which were pulled up to her chest.

Bella frowned as she saw this. Some adults were nearby, but they weren't giving this girl or the other children any attention. This didn't seem fair at all to Bella.

Bella strolled over and knelt down in front of this isolated child before smiling.

"Hey. My name is Bella. What's your name?" The child looked up to the white lady who approached her. She bit her lip before speaking.

"Cl-Claire." Bella's smile widened at the child.

"Claire? What a beautiful name. What are you doing over here all by yourself? Why aren't you playing with the other kids?" Bella asked and Claire pulled her fabric animal up to her face.

"They don't like me." Bella gasped when she said this. Poor child.

"Who wouldn't like a cute little thing like you?" Bella tried to cheer her up, but this girl was just so down.

"They don't. They make fun of me." Her voice was so quiet. She was such a shy little thing.

"That is there loss then, little Claire. Where is your mother and father?" Bella asked quietly, hoping not to upset Claire too much. She had been a lot like this girl when she was little. She only had her sisters and all other kids steered clear of her.

"I don't have a mother or a father." This made Bella want to cry. This poor little child. She saw the tears collect in the poor girl's eyes and Bella frowned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. It's okay, though. I don't have a mother or a father, either." Claire's eyes widened in surprise before pulling her animal away from her face.

"You don't?" Bella shook her head with a sad smile on her face.

"I used to have both, but they passed on what now seems like forever ago." Bella knelt down more in front of little Claire. "I'll tell you what, sweetie. When I was feeling down, my mother used to tell me and my sisters fairy tales to cheer us up." Claire's head tilted with confusion.

"Fairy tales?" Bella nodded with a happy smirk.

"Fairy Tales are stories full of adventure, triumph, and lot of love. They are very exciting to listen to. Would you like to hear one?" Bella asked and Claire's eyes brightened and a smile spread across her face. Bella thought she had a very beautiful smile.

"Yes, please." Bella smiled and suddenly she felt the presence of a dozen children behind her. She turned and the other children stood there.

"Can we listen, too?" The little boy in the front asked and Bella giggled.

"I will tell you what. You can listen, too." They all cheered and huddled around Claire without getting to close. The poor child looked saddened by their distance. "I have told me condition though. If I let you listen to my stories, you have to be nice to little Claire here. Deal?" They all looked to Claire, who blushed from being put in the spotlight, but they all nodded. They children moved closer to her and a smile came across the five year old's pretty little face. "Great! Just to pick one." Bella zoomed in on the animal Claire was holding and noticed it was a frog. This sparked an idea. "Claire, can I see your animal?" She nodded and handed it to Bella who sat down on her knees. "Alright, the story I am going to tell you is called 'The Princess and The Frog'." She started and the boy sitting next to Claire interrupted.

"What's a princess?" He asked. Bella suddenly felt like slapping herself from her stupidity.

"Oh, well, in places far from here, the communities have royal families that watch over and protect those that live there. Like the Chief and his family does." She tried to explain the best that she could. The children made an 'oh' noise to this explanation, letting Bella know they understood. "Now, in these places, the highest up rulers of the communities are called the King and Queen, much like the Chief and his wife, and their children are Princes and Princesses." A little girl up front was the next to interrupt.

"So, Jacob and Embry would be the Princes and Rebecca and Rachel would be the Princesses." Bella didn't even realize this to be true and she blushed.

"Exactly. Now, in the far away lands that I am going to tell you about, there is lots of adventure, magic around every corner, and good always triumphs over evil." The children looked like they were on the edge of their seats.

"Once upon a time in a beautiful, prosperous kingdom, far away from here, there lived a beautiful princess…." She told the tale using Claire's fabric frog to emphasize when the frog would be speaking to the princess near the spring.

"The frog cried out, 'Oh, please, princess! Only a kiss from you can break this horrible spell inflicted on me by a wicked witch!'" Bella sat down the frog before leaning forward. All of the girls were on the edge of their seat while the boys looked indifferent to the story. "Then, the princess was so moved by his desperate plea." Bella leaned forward even more with a smile on her face. "She stooped down…" Bella slowly picked up the frog. "...picked up the slippery creature…." Bella smiled wider as she raised the fabric frog towards her face. "...raised him up to her lips…." She quickly pecked the frog on the head before pulling it down the her chest. "...and _kissed_ that little frog!" A lot of the girls shrieked and some of them looked like they were gagging from the image. "The frog was transformed into a handsome prince, fully clothed in his royal attire and a crown on top of his head. They were married and lived happily ever after." Most of the girls cheered, but one girl in particular jumped up from her seat and snatched a frog that was hoping by and kissed the top of its head. Bella snickered when this girl did it. "Sweetie, not all frogs are princes under a curse." She frowned in response.

Bella didn't know it, but Jacob was watching her telling her tale to these children. It was sweet to see, her interacting with a bunch of children. It brought to his mind of when they would have children of their own, after he married her. It was a thought that brought a smile to his face.

"That was just a stupid love story. I heard no adventure." One boy pouted and crossed his arms in irritation.

"Well, what might I ask is your name?" Bella questioned.

"Quil." The small boy replied and she giggled.

"Well, Quil, I have another story to tell with plenty of adventure. It is the tale of Sleeping Beauty that you shall hear." The children huddled together as Jacob knelt behind Bella and Claire started to giggle. Jacob made a goofy face, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. All of the children started to laugh. Bella was extremely confused by their sudden laughter. "What is so funny?" She crossed her arms at them then Jacob poked her sides. Bella instantly squealed like a piglet and the children laughed even harder. Bella's head snapped around and was met by Jacob's big grin. She scowled and nudged him with her elbow. "Don't sneak up on me like that! You scared me half to death!" She chastised him and he snickered to himself.

"What are you doing?" He asked, ignoring her small rant, and she rolled her eyes.

"I was trying to tell these children a story." He chortled.

"One of your little 'fairy tales'?" She nodded and only of the little girls by Claire jumped to her knees with excitement.

"She just told us about a prince who was turned into a frog, but became a prince again when he was kissed by a pretty princess." The girl was excited and it brought Bella joy to share the happiness her mother's stories had brought to her as a child.

"Is that so?" Jacob smirked at the little girl and she nodded.

"And you interrupted me telling them another story to them, Jacob." She scolded him and he chuckled.

"Well, tell away. I'd like to hear one myself." She was a little surprised by this. She didn't think Jacob would actually want to hear her tale of heroics and love. Sure, she knew none of them were true, but most of the stories could only hold the interest of a girl, not a man.

"I am going to need a stick and a blanket." This was just confusing to Jacob, but he did not question her. He jumped up and found a stick in the nearby brush and grabbed a clean blanket hanging from a clothes line. He handed them to Bella and she gave him a grateful smile. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and sat the stick in her lap.

"Is this one going to be another girlie story?" Quil whined again and Jacob gave him a stern look.

"Quil…." The small boy shrunk a little and had the wits about him to look ashamed.

"Sorry." Bella giggled before she shook her head.

"Now, this story is not so much like the other. It's not all hearts and flowers. This story is about how everyone is willing to do what is necessary to protect those they love and, like I promised you, there is adventure in it." All of the children looked to her with intrigue and wonder.

"Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a strong king and his loving queen. They lived in a wonderful place filled with magic and triumph. The King and his Queen longed to have a child of their own, but they weren't lucky for a long time. They prayed and prayed to be blessed with their own miracle and finally their wish was granted." The girls all had big smiles as the listened. Jacob sat by and listened closely to her tale. "They were blessed with a sweet little girl they named Aurora for she brought sunshine into their lives. Everyone in their land was joyous over the arrival of their princess.

"The King and Queen threw a grand party to celebrate Aurora's birth. Even kings from far lands from them came to meet the child. Everyone wanted to give this innocent little girl gifts. They held this party in a great hall full of colorful decorations and upbeat music playing. Each person came and gave the child a gift, each one different from the one before.

"King Hubert, the ruler of a neighboring kingdom, did not bring a physical gift, but one of promise. It had been arranged that Aurora, when she turned sixteen, would married King Hubert's son, Prince Philip, who was about your age." Bella pointed at Quil and the boy looked embarrassed. "Phillip was not happy about this. He was not pleased with the idea that this small child would one day rule his kingdom by his side, be his wife and the mother to his children." Jacob snickered to himself. Boys were so foolish! Bella quickly backhanded his shoulder and scowled. "Don't interrupt." He gave her a big smile and she returned her attention to the children.

"Finally, the last three guests arrived to give the child their gifts and these guests were the Good Fairies. There was the Blue Fairy, the Pink Fairy, and the Green Fairy. In this land, fairies didn't usually use their magic for good, but these were the ones who did. They _couldn't_ use their magic for anything other than good. Their magic could only work to bring joy and happiness.

"The Pink Fairy approached the king and said in a soft, sweet voice, 'We have come far to meet the beautiful, infant princess, but we cannot offer much. We each will be able bestow a single gift upon this child. No more and no less. We each have thought long and hard about what we shall give this wonderful blessing of yours.' The Pink Fairy flew over to the crib that the child was in. She gazed at the sleeping babe, gave a smile, and spoke. "Dear, sweet child, my gift to thee is the gift of beauty.' With a wave of her wand, pink sparkles flittered around the child before they disappeared." The girls were on edge and the boys seemed indifferent to this portion of her tale.

"The Pink Fairy went back to her sisters before the Green Fairy flew to the child. She looked to the baby with a sweet smile and softly touched her hand. 'Dear Princess, my gift shall be the gift of grace.' With a wave of her wand, the princess was surrounded by yellow sparkles, encasing her in the magical gift. The Green Fairy, content with her chosen gift, went back to her sisters. Now, it was the Blue Fairy's turn to give the child a gift. She thought she had found the perfect gift for this child, but she wasn't given the chance to give it to the princess." Bella quickly grabbed the stick from her lap and slammed it into the ground in front of the children. The girls screeched from this.

"Bam!" Bella exclaimed with an intense frown. "The doors to the great hall slammed open. All of the candles lighting up the party were extinguish with a gust of wind swarming around the room. The room did not go dark. A dangerous, green glow surround all of the patrons as a dark figure entered." Bella started to tap her stick on the ground and all of the children looked scared. "The room was silent except for the sound of this person's staff hitting the floor every few seconds. This was not just any person. It was a woman, horns grown out of her head, a black cloak over her shoulders and a black crow sat on the crystal, glowing ball at the top of her wooden staff.

"Everyone knew who she was and feared her name. She wasn't a normal woman at all, but a fairy who had lost her wings. She possessed dark, powerful magic. She was the most evil being in existence and fed off the suffering of others." Bella noticed even Quil looked scared at her tale.

"Her name was Maleficent and she was known as the Black Fairy. No one knew why she was so evil or how she lost her wings, but for some reason, she decided to go to this party for the princess.

"She stopped in front of the King and Queen. With a frown across her beautiful face, she said 'Well, quite a glittering assemblage. I really felt quite distressed at not receiving an invitation, your majesty.' If there was anyone in the world who didn't fear Maleficent's wrath, it was the king. He was livid by her disruption of the celebration.

"'You aren't welcome here,' The king's voice boomed at her, but she did not flinch. Maleficent stood tall before speaking.

"'Oh, dear. What an awkward situation!' Maleficent spoke, not the least bit of offensiveness in sight in the Black Fairy. If anything, she seemed sad that she was not wanted at this gathering." The children stopped cowering and Bella smiled at this. She was telling the tale and acting as her mother had when she spun the tale to her years before. "'I'd best be on my way.' Maleficent spoke before turning away. She was going to leave the party with no fight from her. The Queen did not wish for there to be any hard feelings between the royal family and the Black Fairy. She did not want to chance her daughter being caught up in Maleficent's issues because of this dismissal.

"The Queen spoke to Maleficent with a soft, sorrowful voice, 'You aren't offended, your excellency?' She questioned, hoping to diffuse any hard feelings she might hold toward the royal family. Maleficent turned with a kind smile. She looked right at the Queen and bowed slightly before she spoke.

"'Why, no, Your Majesty! To show I bear no ill will, I, too, shall bestow a gift on the child.'" The children gasped and cowered again. Bella's arms swung out to her sides, the blanket casting its shadows over her body. "'Listen well, all of you!' Maleficent demanded before looking to the King, a sly grin across her face. "'The princess shall indeed grow in grace and beauty, skin white as snow, hair a sunshine glow, and lips red as the rose. She shall be loved by all that know her.' Everyone hoped this is where her gift would end, but there was no such luck. The wicked Fairy lowered her arms and cast a tragic curse over the babe in the cradle. 'Before the sunsets on her sixteenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die!'" All of the children screeched in horror, but what was most hilarious of this was little Quil jumped up and hid behind Claire, his head tucked under his arms.

Bella continued her long tale. A lot of it was scary to the child, but all of it kept their attention. Bella was active in her storytelling, waving her hands around, rifle playing as the characters with her blanket and stick. She had even attracted the attention of some adults, but they were only pretending to not be listening to her tale of valor, magic, and love.

Emily watched with a smile at Bella spinning her tale to the children and it warmed her heart. Everyone was captivated by her storytelling skills. She was definitely the best they had ever seen.

When Bella finished, the children all shrieked with excitement and jumped up and down as she took off the blanket and handed it over to Jacob.

"Another!" A girl demanded from the back of the children and Bella giggled.

"Now, children, Bella gave you a nice story. Leave her be." Emily said as Bella stood up. "You did an amazing job with your story, Bella." She blushed and smiled. Bella was surprised when Claire ran over and hugged her arms around Bella's stomach.

"Thank you, Bella." She giggled as she bent down and gave the sweet girl a tight squeeze.

"You're very welcome, Claire. Those kids start being mean and you just let me know, okay?" She nodded with a big smile before running off.

"Wow. You must have done something she really liked. Claire isn't very affectionate and doesn't say much at all." This saddened and made Bella happy. She really was glad she was able to bring a smile to that little girl's face.

 **Did you like how Bella made Claire feel accepted by the other kids? Who else here loves The Frog Prince and Sleeping Beauty? I know I do! Please, let me know your thoughts and constructive criticism is welcome! Lots of love!**


	6. Chapter 6

Her Protector

 **Chapter Six**

Bella was curious about that little girl. Claire had said she didn't have a mother or a father, but if that were true, who took care of that poor child?

"All I did was tell her a story to cheer her up. She seemed so down and lonely." Emily frowned when Bella said this.

"She is, a lot. Her mother died during childbirth with Claire and her father was mauled by a bear last spring. She has been with me and my husband, Sam, since then." Emily was filled with sorrow to think about that poor child's rotten luck. She was the only child in the village who had lost both of their parents before their childhood was over.

"She lives with you?" Bella asks softly and Emily nodded.

"Her mother was my sister and her father was an only child. I'm the only family she has left." Emily needs a change of subject before she started crying. Thinking of her sister always upset her. "The children loved your storytelling." She gushed over Bella's skills and Bella blushed.

"Thanks."

"I think we found the perfect thing for you to do for the village." Bella wasn't sure how this tied in or if Emily just brought this up at random.

" _Huh_?" She tilted her head in confusion and Emily giggled.

"There is never much for the children to do and they are often left unattended while everyone else does their job. You seem more than capable to watch them, tell them stories, play with them." Bella was shocked. She never thought that she would be allowed to do something she truly enjoyed doing. She loved all children and, if she could pick a job for herself, it would be to spend her days with them.

"Really?" Emily nodded.

"Once you finish all of your schooling, but I think that would be the best thing for you. Don't you agree, Jacob?" Bella had completely forgotten that he was standing there. She looked to him and blushed as he grinned wide at her.

"I completely agree. I've never seen those children more captivated by anything." Bella gave a shy smile before looking back to Emily. Excitement filled Bella to the brim.

"I would love nothing more. Thank you." Emily flashed a big smile at this.

"There is also a very good upside. When you have children of your own, you can spend all day with them." Bella blushed when Emily said this to her. She couldn't help, but glance at Jacob when Emily spoke of Bella's future children. She hoped they would be Jacob's children, if he truly did want her as his wife. She was still skeptical on this. He had been showing her more attention than any other woman around, but he hadn't tried to kiss her since that mind blowing kiss they shared in her hut.

She wondered what they would look like, children of hers and Jacob's. She had seen all of the beautiful children of the village and adorable children from her hometown, but never had she come across a child that was both white and native. In town, such a thing would be unthinkable, a child of multiple races. She hoped it wasn't the same in the village.

"Yes, that would be good." Bella gave a short reply, her thoughts filled with worry for any children she had in the future.

Emily left them alone and Bella was surprised when Jacob grabbed her hand. Her eyes snapped up to his and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"Let's go for a walk." She thought he would be too busy to have time for her, but she was glad he was making the time. She nodded and he led her to the nearby woods. "What was that face about?" He asked softly and she looked to him confused.

"What face?" He softly chuckled.

"You looked deep in thought when Emily made that comment about your future children." She slowly nodded as they strolled through the woods, chirping with birds, alive with wildlife.

"Just brought forth some things in my mind." She took her hand from his and hugged her arms around her waist. He noticed her action and he thought it was strange. It looked like she was trying to squeeze herself, like she thought if she let go she might fall apart. He wasn't too far off. She felt exposed and didn't want her thoughts to upset him.

"Tell me." He requested and noticed her gulp nervously.

"Where I come from, I know it's a lot different than here, but in town, it was unthinkable for someone to bear a child of multiple races." This statement confused him.

"What do you mean by races?" He inquired and she looked to him with sad eyes before a moment before averting her eyes back to the path they were walking.

"A race is what people from the town would use to distinguish people of different skin colors. I'm white and everyone in my family is also. Everyone from the village is native so any man that I would marry would be native. That would also mean any child I would have would be part native and part white. Where I come from, that is something that isn't accepted easily." He understood what she meant now.

"You are worried about what others would think?" She scoffed and shook her head.

"I've never cared much about what others think of me. I'm more worried for any child I would have, how others would treat them. I couldn't stand to see any child subjected to cruelty for the color of their skin. It's just not right." He took her hand again and stalled her walking. She turned to him and saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Bella, our village isn't like that. When you have your children, they won't be the first here that aren't fully native." Her eyes widened when he said this and she relaxed.

"Who?" She asked and he smirked.

"Emily's sister, Claire's mother, was part white and part native." This was amazing to Bella. Emily looked like all the others in the village.

"I thought Emily was completely native?" He nodded and moved closer to her.

"She is. Her and her sister didn't share the same father." This was unbelievable to Bella. How could that even be possible? "Diana, their mother, was not Quileute. She was from another village and she was taken captive by some 'soldiers' I think is your word for it. When she escaped, she was carrying Claire's mother. She came to our tribe for sanctuary and married one of the men here." Bella felt so terrible for this Diana. She couldn't even imagine how traumatized this woman had to be.

"And Claire's mother wasn't treated different?" He shook his head before placing his hand on her cheek. She relaxed and her eyes closed from the comfort his hand offered her. He loved to see her so at peace as she was when he touched her.

"No child you ever have will be treated badly here. I wouldn't let that happen….my Bella." Her eyes snapped open when he called her that and her eyes landed on his, so warm and full of love for her. She never thought anyone could look so heartfelt as he did right then.

Her hand came up and stroked his jawline before she softly placed it on his cheek.

She never knew she could possibly cherish a man as much as she did Jacob. He always seemed to say the right things she needed to hear and he always knew the right thing to do in every circumstance. He didn't irritate her and she didn't see herself ever getting sick of his company.

It took time, but she knew in that moment when she starred in his eyes that she was madly and irrevocably in love with him. No one else would ever have her heart like he did, even if he passed away before his time.

Jacob, the Chief Consort, her Protector, was the only man for her. He completed her, wholly.

She pressed her mouth to his and his arms encased her. There had only been one other occasion where they kissed and it had been him who kissed her. This time it was her who asked for it. Her hands buried into his hair and held his face to hers as his hold tightened on her, pulling her flush against him. A soft moan left her lips and next thing she knew her back was pressed against a tree, his hands rubbing from her face to her arms then her hips. When he touched her waist, she felt something rather hard pressed against her thigh and her breath caught. She pushed his shoulders back and he released the kiss before pressing his forehead to hers.

"I'm sorry. I can't." She breathed out as he softly touched her flushed cheek.

"Bella, I wasn't going to ask that of you." He knew what she thought, that he was going to ask her for sex because he was aroused.

"You weren't?" He softly chuckled as he gazed down at her happily.

"Well, not yet at least." She flushed more when he said this and she took a deep breath. "I'm a man, Bella. I get aroused. Just because I want it doesn't mean I'm going to ask for it. Myself, like everyone else in this village, I am waiting for my future wife for that, once I have married her." She struggled with her breath as he cupped her face in his hands, staring down into her eyes. She was amazed by all the affection in his eyes as he gazed into her eyes.

"Have anyone in mind?" She asked, nervousness filling her. What if it wasn't her and he just was messing with her head? She didn't think she could stand it if that was the case.

"Yes, a very wonderful, beautiful woman who I want to bear my children, be my wife, my other half, until one of us leaves this Earth." He rubbed her cheek affectionately. "You, my Bella." She gasped when he said this to her.

"Wha-what?" She questioned shocked by his confession and he smirked at her.

"I want you as my wife. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want to spend my life with you...if you will have me?" He asked her and her heart sped up as she gazed up into his loving, sweet eyes.

She wanted him to want her and love her as she did him, but she never expected him to ask for her hand.

Tears filled her eyes as she placed her hand on his cheek, her joy becoming overwhelming.

"Why are you crying?" He wiped away her tears and she shook her head.

"Because I love you, Jacob." His heart grew from her admission. His smile brightened at her as she took a deep shaky breath. "I love you and I would love nothing more than to be your wife, to keep loving you until death do us part." He quickly kissed her and held her close to him.

It put both of them in a heavenly bliss, that irrevocable moment in which both of their feelings were acknowledged.

"I love you." He spoke as he released the kiss and twirled one of her free locks of hair around his finger. "My future wife." She smiled at what he called her before she let out a joyful laugh and rubbed his jawline lovingly.

"My future husband."

* * *

Jacob and Bella stopped strolling in front of her hut, the sound of her sister's laughter flowing out the door. She slowly turned to him as he took her hand in his, a smile permanently plastered across his face.

"I would stay, but I need to go talk to my father." She nodded, a small blush across her cheeks.

"It's alright. I understand that you have your duties. I'll just relax before the feast. I'm sure I'll see you then." He cupped her jaw in his hands as he kissed her.

"Be fair warned, keep in mind what my father will probably be announcing at the feast." She grinned. She knew full well that he was referring to their engagement, that she would be his wife.

"You may need to mentally prepare yourself for that, Chief Consort." He chuckled before he kissed her again.

"I have been preparing for that for a long time, Bella. I really don't want to leave, but I have to." She nodded and left a chaste kiss on his lips.

"I guess I must be the one to say goodbye in that case. Goodbye, Jacob." He smirked, she gave his hand a soft squeeze, and she blushed at him.

"Goodbye, Bella." He leaned down to her and nuzzled his nose against hers, earning him a little snicker from her. "I love you, my beautiful Bella." She bit her lip and nodded before returning the motion.

"And I you, my wonderful Jacob." He chuckled and released himself from her, walking away. Bella placed her hand over her heart from the intense fluttering of the muscle.

No one had ever done the things to her heart that Jacob had done. He made her giddy and lovestruck. Love was truly in the air!

Bella bit her lip and she went into the hut as Angela and Carmen looked to Bella who was playing with her braid, humming to herself.

" _Good evening!"_ Bella spoke to her sisters as she took a seat on her bed and undid her braids before brushing her fingers through the long, auburn hair.

" _What is with your sudden mood change?"_ Angela inquired as her and Carmen went to sit by Bella, one on each side of her

" _Whatever do you mean?"_ Bella asked as she pulled her hair over her shoulder and played with the ends of it.

" _Well, something has put the sunshine in your heart. What happened today?"_ Carmen asked and Bella smiled as she remembered how Jacob had asked her to be his wife.

Nothing could possibly rival that.

" _I just had a nice day."_

" _Don't give us that. What happened today?"_

" _Oh, Emily told me I could be the children's caretaker during the day when our schooling is done and Jacob asked me to marry him. I'd really enjoy a dip in the stream about now."_ Bella decided to play it cool, but both Carmen and Angela caught what she said.

" _Wait a second. Did you just say that Jacob asked you to be his wife?"_ Bella nodded as she blushed.

" _Oh, my god!"_ Angela exclaimed before throwing her arms around Bella, giving her a congratulatory hug.

" _What did you say?"_ Carmen probed and Bella blushed with a shy smile.

" _I told him I'd love nothing more than to be his wife."_ Both Carmen and Angela shrieked from this.

" _I can't believe our baby sister is going to be getting married before us!"_ Carmen teased her little sister as she blushed.

" _He said the Chief may announce it tonight at the feast."_ Bella admitted and Angela shrieked.

" _Well, then, we must get cleaned up, sister. Make ourselves presentable for your engagement announcement."_

* * *

Bella had a little pep in her step as her and her sisters made it to the feast.

"Hello, ladies." Embry approached and Angela blushed at her beau. Angela had taken quite a liking to Jacob's younger brother and he absolutely adored her.

"Evening, Embry." He strolled over to Angela and innocently took her hand in his before kissing her cheek.

"Angela, your beauty grows with each rise of the sun." Carmen was sickened by the sentiments and Bella giggled.

"Thank you." She squeezed his hand before whispering to him. "My love." Bella thought it was cute, how her sister and the man courting her fit so well together, but seemed so different.

"Embry?" Bella interrupted and his eyes snapped to hers with a big smile.

"I must congratulate you, Bella. My brother is a lucky man." He winked at her and she blushed with a big smile.

"He told you?"

"He couldn't wait to shout it at anyone who would hear." Bella giggled as she crossed her arms behind her back.

"Do you know where he is?" He nodded and pointed to a nearby hut.

"He's speaking with our father about the announcement." Bella nodded and strolled over though she wanted to skip she was so happy to be marrying the man she loved.

She walked over and pulled back the beads in the doorway to see men's backs except for one who scowled at her before looking back to the others. The man who looked mad at her spoke up.

"You must be ecstatic that soon the requirement for your Chief Hood will be met by ways of your marriage." The man spoke and Bella gazed at the backs of the men with confusion.

"Well, I wouldn't be getting married so young if it wasn't for that stupid stipulations, now, would I?" Bella's heart shattered as she heard the words leave her fiance's mouth. Tears welled up in her dark, sad eyes. It felt like someone had punched their hand into her chest and ripped her heart out.

"That's why you asked me to marry you?" She finally spoke up and Jacob's head snapped around, seeing the heartbroken look upon her face.

"Bella…" He wanted to explain what he had said, but she didn't want to hear it.

"I can't believe I trusted you." She ran out the hut with tears stained on her features. Her lung throbbed, heart ached, and her feet pounded the ground as she ran into the woods, weaving around trees, trying to escape how Jacob had crushed her heart.

There was a reason why she didn't want to accept her feelings for him, nothing good for her ever lasted.

"Bella, wait!" Jacob called after her, but his father grabbed his arm, stopping him from fleeing.

"Give her a moment. She's sensitive right now. Let her calm down." Jacob's eyes turned to scowl at Levi who had been the only one facing the door.

"You knew she was there!" He nodded with a victorious grin across his devious face.

"No Chief should ever be wed to a pale faced whore like that woman." Jacob growled at Levi before shrugging off his father's hold.

"Don't you dare speak about my fiancee like that. She will be my wife and the mother of my children. Every Chief from here on out will share blood with Bella because she is the only woman I want to mother my children. Bella is the only woman I will ever want and you can bet our stock on that." Jacob quickly turned and jogged out of the hut.

Bella sobbed as she collapsed at the creek. She didn't know what she should do.

Jacob never wanted her. He just wanted his Chief hood and he used her to get it. Her sisters had built a life in the village so she couldn't just flee from how her heart had been shattered.

She cried out as she wheezed from how hard she was crying.

" _How could you_?" She whispered to herself before she screamed out. "How could you!" She screamed as she clutched her chest.

Suddenly, she felt a searing pain split through her leg and she screeched in pain. Her body tumbled from the force before crying harder. She looked down at her leg and saw a bullet had shot straight through her calf.

 _Soldiers…_ she thought before she looked up, seeing two horses approached.

" _Stay down, Injun_!" She recognized the voice from her hometown, across the land. She took a deep breath as the blood poured from her leg, soaking the ground.

" _Edward!"_ She cried out for him and he stopped his horse for a minute as she took a deep breath. " _Edward, it's me. Please, help!"_ She pressed her hand to the wound on her leg as she shuddered in pain.

" _Isabella!"_ Edward was her father's second in command back in her hometown. How he ever made it so far from home, she wasn't sure.

He jumped from his horse and ran to her before pushing the hair from her face.

" _Dear God. Jasper, bring my kit! She's bleeding out!"_ Bella's vision was cloudy as she struggled to breathe. " _What the hell are you doing out here and dressed like a savage?"_ Edward lifted her head into his lap as she struggled to focus from her pain.

" _I live in a native village with my sisters. We were taken hostage and our villagers freed us."_ He gasped before he pushed her away, causing her to scream in pain.

" _You are no better than those savages."_ He moved to his feet as she struggled to crawl towards him, but the pain shot a fire through her leg.

" _Please, help me! You shot me for crying out loud!"_ She sobbed from the pain as she clawed at the ground. " _My father was your mentor! He treated you like a son! You can't just leave me here to die!"_ Bella was hysterical. Edward was like a brother to her. She had accepted him as part of her family and he was just going to turn his back on her.

" _Oh, I'm not leaving you. Jasper, my pistol!"_ Bella gasped when she heard this, but her head was starting to spin from blood loss.

" _You can't kill me. I'm under protection of the Quileute tribe as one of their own. You kill me and the Chief, all of the villagers, especially the Chief Consort, Jacob, will find you and they will kill you."_ Jasper strolled over to Edward and handed him his pistol.

" _And why would they care?"_

" _Because….Jacob… the Chief Consort….is my fiance."_ She pushed out as she struggled to breathe. She tried to move to her feet as an attempt to run, but she instantly fell and Edward shot her in the shoulder, making her scream aloud. " _Stop it! I didn't do anything to you!"_ She sobbed as she clutched to the blades of grass below her.

" _Oh, you didn't have to do anything to me. If you have plans to marry an Injun, that makes you an Indian's whore. I'm not going to kill you just yet. First, I'm gonna show you what happens to women who allow themselves to become some savage's whore."_ She gasped and tried to get up again to run, but fell once more. She repeatedly tried this until Edward pushed her down. Kicking and screaming, she tried to get away from him.

She knew exactly what he was going to do to her. Edward Cullen, the man she saw as her brother, the man who her father adored, was going to rape her then kill her.

" _Jasper, come hold down this whore."_ She sobbed as Edward flipped her over and Jasper roughly grabbed her wrists, holding them roughly in front of her.

"Help! Help me! Help! Please!" Bella called out, hoping someone would hear her call.

Jacob heard it and ran as fast as his feet could carry him as Edward undid his pants.

" _Shut up you fucking whore. You will love every second of it. Even better than your savage."_ Bella cried out when he said this.

" _I haven't had sex with my fiance! I swear! We were waiting until we were wed! Please, don't do this to me!"_ As soon as Jacob rounded the corner, he saw the position Bella was being held in, one man holding down her arms while another man was tearing at her dress between her legs as she clenched her thighs shut with all the strength she had.

" _You wanted to be a whore. Now, I'm gonna treat you like one!"_ Edward snapped at her and she screamed out, hoping someone would save her from her fate.

With the quickness, Jacob pulled out his bow and arrow and shot Edward in the head, sending him to the ground, lifeless. Jasper gasped when he saw this and Jacob ran forward.

Jasper scurried for the gun that was in Edward's hand, but Jacob was faster. Pulling out another arrow, Jacob gave Jasper the same treatment as his friend.

Bella relaxed when she heard silence and her body went limp against the ground, her breathing shallow and her body weakening.

"Bella!" She heard Jacob call her name as he pushed the dead men away from her and moved to her face. He pushed the hair out of her face to look at her. Her eyes met his, but her gaze was so fragile, almost as if she was barely clinging onto life.

"Jacob." His name left her lips like a breath and he noticed all the blood on the ground.

"Oh, my god. I'm gonna get you help." She couldn't even focus on him as her eyes started to drift. Her adrenaline rush was over and it was taking its toll on her broken body. "No, don't close your eyes. Look at me, Bella." Her eyes met his again as he pulled her into his lap.

"Jacob." She pushed out his name as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Don't you dare do that. Don't you say goodbye. I'm gonna get you back to the village and get you all patched up. You're going to be fine, I promise." He lifted her into his arms and she cried out in pain.

"No, no, no! Put me back down!" He knelt back down with her and laid her on the ground. "Hurts too much." She groaned as tears flowed down her face.

"What can I do?" He pleaded with her and smoothed the hair out of her face, gazing into her eyes. Her eyes connected with his and her vision cleared enough for her to see the tears down his face.

"Why are you crying?" He groaned and quickly kissed her.

"Because I love you. I don't want anyone else. I will not be satisfied with anyone, but you. You are it for me. Do you remember that day when we were right here and you couldn't wash your clothes right?" She nodded and reached her hand up,rubbing his jawline. "That's when I knew…. That's when I knew you were the woman I've been waiting for. You are the only woman I want as my wife. I didn't ask you to be my wife to be Chief. I asked for your hand because I can't imagine how I lived my life without you or how I could ever live it once you are gone." She gulped and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, as a shuddering pain went through her shoulder. "That's why you have to live. I can't wait for you to be my wife, to watch as your stomach grows with each and every one of our children, enjoy our time as parents, raising our children together." A small smile graced her lips as she softly touched his and he kissed her fingertips.

"And I love you, my Jacob." Her eyes started to drift and she suddenly lost consciousness

"Bella, no. Bella?" He rubbed her cheek, but she didn't respond. He could feel that she was still breathing which was the only reason he didn't have a breakdown right then.

In a rush, he lifted her into his arms, but her body was limp. He adjusted her in his arms so her head was rested on his shoulder before he ran as fast as he could back to the village.


	7. Chapter 7

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Seven**

Bella groaned as her eyes fluttered slowly. All she knew was she was in a hut and lying on a bed, but she wasn't sure where. She knew it wasn't her bed or her hut. The roof of the hut was more worn than hers, but not by much.

She blinked a few times as she felt the bed shift.

"Hey." She heard Jacob's voice and slowly turned her head, groaning from her stiff neck. She gazed at his face and a loving smile graced her lips.

"Hello." He smirked as he tucked her hair behind her ear. "What happened? The last thing I remember is being at the creek with you." She asked with a soft voice and he took her hand between his, a stern look across his face.

"You lost consciousness and I ran you back here. Sue tended to your wounds." She looked around and realized who's hut she was in.

"Why are we in your hut?"

"Quiet and privacy. You needed time to heal from what you endured. The home you share with your sisters wouldn't have sufficed." This made her a little nervous.

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days." That was unfathomable to her.

"Three days? Where did you sleep if I've been here the whole time?" She asked and he gulped before averting his eyes to his hands, still holding her good one.

"I haven't slept." She couldn't believe this. Why the hell didn't he sleep? "I thought you were going to die. When I saw what those men were doing to you….I was so scared for you and I don't get scared very often." She nodded as she squeezed his hand.

"But, I'm okay now. My shoulder and my leg doesn't even hurt." Then she tried to move her leg which sent a pain up her extremity. She groaned instantly as he rolled his eyes.

"Sure, like I believe that." She wasn't going to lie so she just nodded. "What happened?" He needed an answer. "Who were those men?"

"They were from my hometown." She confessed and his eyes widened. "Edward, the man who was…." She trailed off, unable to speak of the unthinkable things Edward wanted to do to her. "The one who _tried_ to force himself on me, he worked for my father." Jacob's eyes widened with disbelief.

"Did you say he tried?" She nodded as she squeezed his hand before she pushed herself to sit up with her good arm, leaning back against the wall. "So he didn't force himself on you?" Bella shook her head with a sad smile.

"He would have if you didn't show up when you did. I fought him off as hard as I could given my injuries. If he had shot my shoulder first, I would have been able to run away, but he got my leg first. He didn't even know it was me when he first shot me." Jacob watched her curiously and she gave him a sad smile. "He didn't understand why I was dressed like a native. I tried to explain to him what you did, how you rescued me from Salan, but when he realized that I chose to be a part of the village, he said I was a traitor. He said he was going to kill me." Jacob's arm shook with his hatred for this man she spoke of.

Jacob moved to sit next to her and she scooted closer to him, pressing her cheek to his chest. This action calmed his anger and he focused on having her safe in his arms. His arms moved around her waist and held her to him without upsetting her injuries.

"I thought if I told him about us, how you were my fiance, that it would scare him away, but it was why he wanted to force himself on me." Guilt riddled him when she said this. This was all his fault. "He said I was a whore and that he was going to treat me like one." She paused for a minute as he stroked her back. "I told you most white people have issues with intertwining races." He sighed with remorse before kissing her forehead.

"I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." She looked up to him and quickly shook her head.

"No, Jacob. How could it possibly be your fault?"

"You wouldn't have been at the creek then if it wasn't for me. I made you run off and I stupidly listened to my father when he said to let you cool down for a minute. I should have just ran right after you. Then, you wouldn't have made it there." She went to protest, but he wasn't hearing it. He cupped her cheek in his hand as he pressed his forehead to hers, taking a deep breath of relief. "One of those men tried to rape you, my wonderful Bella. They were going to defile you in ways that shouldn't even be thought about."

"But, they didn't. I'm still physically pure. That's good because I want you, as my husband, to be the one to change that, Jacob." He groaned from the image that sent through his head, her beneath him, clinging to him, begging for more as he drove himself deeper and deeper into her.

Damn his hormonal brain. All she has to do is just mention them making love on their wedding night and he was erect like he had never been before. He wanted her, but he made an oath to her, that he would not ask for that until she was his wife. He definitely wasn't going to ask this of her while she was injured, but damn, she was tempting as hell.

She noticed the arousal across his face and blushed before kissing him. Passion flowed between them as she whimpered into his mouth.

She would be lying if she said she had no sexual attraction to him. Just thinking of their wedding night made her throb in a way she never had before, deep within her core, low in her gut.

His hand massaged her waist as he groaned into her perfect lips. His tongue slipped past her lips and ran along her teeth, begging to be one with hers. She opened up and his tongue collided with hers, moans filling the hut. She was sure if someone was passing by, they would surely think he was making her his.

His tongue fought with hers for dominance, but she wasn't battling him at all. She was overfilled with lust for him, impatiently hoping they would be married sooner rather than later so he would deflower her over and over and over again until neither of them could go anymore.

He pulled out of the kiss with a groan and pressed his forehead to hers. "You have no idea how the thought of that aroused me." She bit her lip and nodded.

"Yes, I do. It does the same to me." He groaned again as a pain shot through his already stiff erection. "I can't wait until I'm your wife and you are my husband, Jacob." His hand smoothed up her good leg and she moaned quietly. "I'm impatient to feel you inside me." A loud groan left his lips at that as she pressed her hand over his, moving his palm further up her dress, rubbing his thumb over her pelvic bone. She whimpered when he did this. "To feel you working yourself in me, making me moan for you and only you." His hand splayed across her hip as she moved his hand across her lower abdomen.

"I can't wait to do that to you, love." She moved his hand further down, past the start of her thighs, and cupped his hand on her mound. Both of them moaned when his fingers touched her drenching, throbbing center. "Damn, what are you doing?" She whimpered when he said this and rubbed his fingers between her folds.

"I need you to touch me, to feel me, to get a taste of what you will be working with on our wedding night." He groaned before looking to the doorway.

"Are you sure?" She nodded and he kissed her lustfully before stroking his thumb across her clit, teasing her slit with another finger. She whimpered into his mouth just before he released the kiss. "You feel so good. How does that feel?" Moving her hand to her stomach, she arched in pleasure.

"Feels so good. I love the way your hands feel on my body." He kissed her again wildly before he pressed a long finger into her. She gasped before looking down to where his hand was, thrusting his digits into her repeatedly. "Oh, my god." He was pleasuring her so good. She felt terrible for not offering anything in return, but she vowed as soon as she wasn't injured, she would return the favor.

"Does that hurt?" With a vigorous shake of her head, she moaned and whimpered, inclining her head back.

"Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes." A smug smirk graced his lips as he watched her chest rising and falling dramatically.

Nothing could ever compare to how she looked right then, full of rapture and need, as she rocked her hips against his hand. Not even his wildest fantasy could have been better than seeing her like that.

"I want to make you feel good." He whispered in her ear and she moaned aloud, holding onto his wrist as she did this. Her mouth fell open with ecstasy as he groaned in her ear. "I want to feel you have your release. I want to know I gave it to you." She whimpered as she clamped her eyes shut and panted heavily.

She cried out as she clamped around him and he kissed along her neck. Her juices coated his hand and he smirked triumphantly.

He had given his fiance her first ever orgasm and he did it with only his hand. He felt very proud of himself and happy that she got her release.

He needed his, but he wasn't going to ask her for anything. He would wait until he was far from prying eyes then he would beat his chicken. He was used to that being his form of release. He wasn't going to push her for that to change yet.

It satiated him enough to just know he could please her with ease.

"That so amazing, seeing you orgasm like that." She bit her lip as he whispered this to her.

"I was in desperate need and we both did vow to stay pure until our wedding." He chuckled before removing his hand from her core. He pulled himself away and she watched as he licked her juices from his hand. She blushed like a tomato. The motion was erotic.

"You taste so good." He pressed his forehead to hers before wrapping his arms back around her waist. "I can't wait to taste you again." Her breath caught when he said this to her.

"Me, neither." She whispered back before sighing. His mind drifted back to her injuries when his eye caught the bandage on her shoulder.

"I was sure you were going to die." His voice showed his anguish from the memory of how bad off she had been. The shaman hadn't been any help for his worries about his fiance. All he had told him was it was up to her body to heal itself.

"I'm fine, though. I'm right here, I'm alive, and it's because of you that I'm okay, my love." She smoothed her hand along his jaw as he smirked at her. "It seems anytime I'm in trouble, you are always there to save me… my protector." He chuckled when she said this to him.

"It's my job to protect you, one I take on with pride." Her heart warmed at his statement, one she would only expect from a man who loved her unconditionally. "I want to marry you as soon as we possibly can. Would you object to that?" She smiled and shook her head with joy.

"Not in the slightest." He nuzzled against her nose affectionately before playing with the end of her hair.

"Good. As soon as I can, I will make you my wife then I will make you mine." She bit her lip from what he said. He didn't need to explain what the second part meant. He was hinting at him making love to her on their wedding night.

"You better keep that promise, Jacob." He chortled just before the beads in the doorway jingled, alerting them to visitors.

They looked to see Angela and Carmen walking through.

"Bella! You're awake!" Angela exclaimed with a big grin and the youngest sister nodded while holding Jacob's hand in hers.

"Thank God, you're okay." Carmen exhaled a breath of relief before Angela started again.

"What happened? How were you shot?" Angela asked as Jacob stood up and turned his hard eyes to Bella's sisters.

"Don't push her too hard. She just woke up shortly before you arrived." Carmen smiled when she saw how protective Jacob was of Bella. Bella quickly took his hand and his eyes softened before looking down at her.

"It's quite alright. They deserve to know what happened." He nodded and took his seat back beside her, moving his arm around her waist.

"Jacob is right. Just pace yourself, sister. Take a deep breath and tells us what you can about what happened." Carmen truly was the protective older sister. Bella gave a small nodded, inhaled a deep breath, then revealed the truth.

"Jasper Whitlock and Edward Cullen found me in the woods." Angela gasped when she recognized the name.

"Edward was here? Well, where is he? Was he here looking for us?" Angela was anxious for answer and Jacob started the explanation for his fiance.

"Dead. Both of those men are dead." Both Angela and Carmen were heartbroken by this news. "I killed them to protect her." Jacob wasn't shy about it at all. He knew it would be way harder for her to talk about than him.

"What? Why would you do that! Edward was our brother! He may not have shared our blood, but he was still our family!" Angela was on the defensive. Bella quickly grabbed Jacob's arm before they gazed at each other. She let him see through her eyes that she needed to tell them herself. He gave her a small smile with a nod before sitting back down next to her. "And you're still standing by him after he murdered your brother? What is wrong with you?" Angela threw her daggers, but they didn't bother her.

"Jacob was right in what he did. He saved my life by killing them. I would be dead right now if it wasn't for him so, yes, I stand by him. He wouldn't have killed Edward and Jasper if they hadn't left him with no choice. Edward was going to kill me and Jasper was just going to sit there and watch." Bella confessed and Carmen was heartbroken once more, betrayal filling her heart.

"Why? Why would he do that? Edward adored you and looked up to our father." Carmen asked as her youngest sister took a deep breath.

"Because he said I was a traitor for choosing a life in the village instead of where we grew up. He shot me for a second time and I told him that I was engaged to Jacob, thinking he would just run off, but he didn't. Instead, he tried to rape me. He said he was going to treat me like a whore and then kill me." Angela's jaw slacked from Bella saying this

"That's impossible. Edward would never do that to you." Jacob scowled at Angela for what she just said.

"Are you calling me a liar? Jacob can attest to what I just told you. If it wasn't for Jacob, I would be dead right now. Edward was not like us or our father. He was like everyone else in town. He thought natives were below him and he thought because I want to spend my life with Jacob that I deserved to die and to be defile like that."

"He was our family." Jacob finally stood up. Bella had updated her sisters, he could tell this argument was stressing her out. And this was not good for his fiancee, who had just woken from near death injuries.

"I think it's time for you to leave, Angela." The middle sister was agape at this demand. What could she have done? She was just stating the facts!

"What?" She demanded him to repeat himself to make sure she heard him correct.

"You heard me, Angela. The only reason I haven't literally thrown you out is because you are my fiance's sister. If you make me ask you again, I will. You are stressing her out and she needs to relax to heal. You need to leave, _now_." He commanded as he pointed towards the door, anger and authority vibrating within his tone. He truly had the spirit of a true alpha male.

Angela stuttered for a moment, unsure what to say, before she bowed her head in defeat and slowly strolled out the doorway.

Bella sat herself up more, hissing from the pain in her leg and shoulder. Jacob quickly moved back to her side and she gave him a small, sad smile.

"Thank you." He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Anything for you, my love." She giggled a little at the sentiment as Carmen smiled.

"Angela was wrong to say that. For what it's worth, I believe you, Bella, every last word. Angela just likes to think the best of those she cares for. You know this. I'm not making excuses for her, but you shouldn't stay mad at her forever. She loves you and, soon, she will see that you are being truthful as I see it." Bella turned to look at Carmen and gave her a grateful grin.

"Thank you, sister." Carmen walked over and squeezed Bella's hand with a sad smile before she left out the doorway.

Bella turned back to Jacob with a reassuring smile as she affectionately stroked his hair.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He sighed when he heard those words leave her lips.

"I will always worry about you. You seem to be quite the trouble magnet." He teased her at the end and she laughed a little.

"You might be right there, my Protector, but it seems I always have you to help me when trouble is near." He softly chuckled before nuzzling her nose affectionately.

"Always, my Bella… Always."


	8. Chapter 8

**Her Protector**

 **Chapter Eight**

It had been a nerve-wracking few months since the shooting incident with the white men. A lot had happened. First, Bella had a long recovery to deal with. Her schooling had to be put on hiatus for the time being. She had to recover and it took a while. Carmen had been helpful like any big sister would under the circumstances. Bella still hadn't spoken to Angela. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but Jacob was worried about a setback in her recovery popping up from too much stress. She loved that he worried about her so much, but it was also irritating at times.

Carmen had been the least willing to find a husband within the village, but finally opened up her heart to a wonderful young man. Though Brady had shown his interest before, Carmen wasn't interested until a very special event happened.

Carmen's birthday had come along and the only people who knew about it were Angela and Bella, but Brady could tell it was a special day for Carmen so he decided to do something special for her. He asked her what her favorite thing was about her town that they didn't have in the village. She tried to explain what a car was. She had never seen one, but she had heard about how some inventor was working on getting one operational and it sounded wonderful to her. Brady did his best to build her what he thought she meant by a car, but came up with a horse drawn trailer.

Brady took her to show her the gift he made for her, but it all backfired. Carmen broke down crying her eyes out. She hadn't seen a trailer since her parents had been murdered in front of her eyes. She was always so strong, so independent. Brady didn't expect her to break down like she did and he tried to apologize, console her, anything he could to make her feel better, but it was to no avail.

She ran home and cried herself to sleep that night. It wasn't until the next morning that she realized how sweet and thoughtful what he did was. She felt stupid for having a meltdown like she did. He was only trying to bring a piece of her first home to life for her in the village. It was the most romantic thing she had ever heard of anyone doing for someone else. It was Jane Austen worthy romance.

She found Brady, thanked him for what he had done, and explained herself for her meltdown. Immediately after that, her and Brady were always together. He had finally broken through to her and there was a connection they now had that could never be undone.

Angela and Embry were unchanged. Their courtship was still sweet and sickening. They decided together to wait a bit for marriage. Angela had been so sure that Ben was the one for her, but now she had met Embry and was completely smittened. They both wanted to make sure this was completely right before they made that jump and both of them were comfortable with waiting for marriage.

Bella and Jacob, on the other hand, were not patient people. They were antsy and wanted their wedding to happen as soon as it could, but they had to wait a while until Bella had recuperated. Once she was all better, they had set the date and readied themselves for announcing their upcoming wedding to the village.

So, there they stood, side by side, standing in the middle of the nightly feast as one. Jacob had just finished making a speech about the duties and responsibilities of the Chief Consort. Most of the crowd knew why Bella stood by his side, but there were a few that were oblivious to the significance of her position at his side.

"As our wonderful village's future Chief, it is a part of my transition from Consort to Chief that I pick a wife for myself, the mother of my future children, the women who will share blood with every Chief after me until the end of time. I picked my future wife many moons ago. We did not announce our plans to marry until now because of unforeseen circumstances that left her bedridden. Now, I stand before you to announce to all of you that in seven days time, I shall forever join my heart, my body, and my soul before the Great Spirit to…" His arm moved around Bella's waist and she moved herself to him, placing an affectionate hand to his chest. "Bella." He announced her name aloud before gazing down at her so affectionately. A combust of happy hoots and excited hollers exploded through the congregation as everyone clapped happily.

Bella had been nervous about their nuptial announcement, since some had already expressed concerns about her being with Jacob, but it was finally over. The majority of the village accepted her as Jacob's future wife.

Jacob pulled Bella along and introduced her to his extended family, cousins, aunts, and uncles swarmed them. All of them were happy to meet her and rained their praises down on her. All of his family was so glad he finally picked a wife and just in time for his eighteenth birthday. It was only a few days after their wedding.

They retreated back to Jacob's hut. At first, the villagers had been suspicious of Bella practically being moved into to Jacob's hut before becoming husband and wife, but she didn't care what others thought. In her time on bed rest, she stayed in the hut with Jacob and they shared a bed while staying true to their vow to stay pure until their wedding night. It was hard. Every time Jacob saw her in his bed, resting or sleeping, his hormones went crazy and he prayed to the Great Spirit to make time go by faster.

He wasn't the only one feeling the temptation while, with the exception of sex, they were living as if they were already husband and wife. Bella felt tempted on a daily basis. Jacob would kiss her and she would feel like every nerve ending was on fire with desire. It was hard to resist, but they had been successful so far.

Jacob smiled as they strolled into the hut and held herself to his arm, smiling to herself.

"That went well." She whispered softly and he chuckled before turning to her. His arms moved around her waist before he pressed his forehead to hers, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Surprisingly well, I would say." She pressed a soft, sweet kiss to his lips and his molded to hers. Their love coursed through their veins as he pulled her closer to him. Their kisses turned passionately as her hands moved urgently into his hair, holding his face to hers. She whimpered when his hands moved south and grasped onto her perfectly rounded ass, palming the flesh.

He always kept himself in check when it came to his desire for his fiancé, but god, she was so tempting and beautiful. Originally, he thought it would be easy to keep from being tempted to deflower her before their wedding night, but the more time he spent with her, the more lust he felt for her. He wanted her so bad.

No, want wasn't a strong enough word. He _needed_ her.

He had to be strong, though. He swore to her he wouldn't ask until their wedding night and he was determined to keep that promise.

Bella walked them over to the bed before she released herself from him and pushed him down onto the pallet. He looked at her amazed as she straddled his waist and started to kiss him again. Her mouth moved down his jaw, to his neck, as her hands explored his exposed chest. He groaned from the wonderful sensations along with her starting to grind into him.

 _This has to be a dream._ He thought to himself. _There is no way Bella would actually be doing this. She was just as adamant about waiting for our wedding night as I was._ He couldn't comprehend why she would do this to him if it wasn't a dream.

She softly moaned into his ear as she pressed him down into the bed and started kissing lower. Her mouth passionately moved across his collarbone, shoulder, his pecs, then made her descend over his abs, kissing each muscle obsessively.

"Bella." He groaned her name as his arousal hardened in his pants, pressing against her breast bone. She looked up to him with the sexiest eyes he had ever seen on her. She was just as aroused as he was. "What are you doing?" He needed to ask. Maybe this wasn't a dream. There was no way he could conjure up that look she gave him.

"Whatever I want." His breath hitched in his throat and she gripped onto the waistband on his pants and pulled them down, past his knees. His erection came free, springing out of his pants, and she moaned to herself before she grasped his stiff pole in her hand. His head fell back at the contact and she smiled to herself.

She was glad she was able to get this reaction out of him. They had only ever done anything sexual when he had given her a release with his hand and she expect him to not seem so pleasured when they did get to this place. A place where her plan was to give him an orgasm.

"You gave me a release while I was bedridden. I plan to return the favor, Jacob." His jaw slacked as she kissed his tip, slowly stroking his length. He groaned aloud as her mouth slowly kissed down his length, running her tongue along his salty skin.

 _Fuck!_ He screamed in thought as she placed a soft kiss on his testicles before running her tongue over them. His hands gripped to the animal fur covering his bed as she did this. "Oh, my gods." He whimpered then looked down at her, seeing the most wonderful sight. There she was, hair back in a leather band, face flush, and she was taking the mushroom head of his engorged cock into her mouth, eyeing him with those 'fuck-me' eyes of hers. He gasped when she did this and one of his hands quickly moved into her hair, gripping onto those strands. "You are so amazing." He breathed out an aroused groan as she took more of him in her mouth, as much as she could handle as a start. She felt his tip touch her throat and she pulled back slightly. She started to gag from that and her mouth constricted around him, the vibrations of her choking on him coursed pleasure through his veins. "Oh, my god!" He trembled with desire as his grip tightened on her hair and she moaned on him.

It aroused her even more that she was pleasuring him so well. She wanted him to feel good and have a small taste of what he would get to enjoy every night for the rest of their life once they got married.

She stroked his base as she worked him in and out of her little mouth, running her tongue under his head repeatedly. Her mouth felt so amazing. He couldn't imagine anything feeling better than what she was doing to him.

His fist tightened in her hair as he felt the tightening in his balls start.

"God, Bella." He sat up and stared down at her as she worked hard for his climax. He thrusted up towards her mouth and she gagged herself again, gulping and moaning around him. "Oh, fuck." He whispered as he trembled and tensed. He was so close. "Bella, let go!" He demanded as he pulled her head back, forcing her to release him. She wasn't sure why he stopped her until he wrapped his hand around hers, squeezing her hand tighter. Their hands moved faster as his climax squirted out of him, across the dirt floor in front of them.

She bit her lip to force in the smug grin that was fighting its way out. She got him off and, from the relieved look on his face, she knew he was satisfied.

"How was that?" She asked as she sat next to him and kissed his cheek. He gently released his hold on her hand and groaned aloud.

"That was unbelievable. Where did you learn that?" He asked, out of breath, and she smiled to herself, pressing her face into his neck.

"I didn't. I just did what felt right." He was having a hard time believing this, but he wasn't going to push her further.

"That's just going to make this all even harder." He pulled up his pants without removing himself from her and wrapped her up in his embrace, pressing his cheek to the top of her little head.

"Only seven days left, Jacob. Just seven days until we become husband and wife. Only seven days then we will become one, emotionally, spiritually…." She ran her hand over his package in his pants and he groaned in response. "...physically." He quickly kissed her, his arousal rising again, and she clung to him, moaning herself. He groaned and pressed his forehead to hers, releasing the kiss.

"You are making it so much harder to resist temptation." She smiled to herself before she stroked his cheek affectionately.

"I bet, but I'm just stating the facts. You don't have much longer to wait. We've waited this long. What's seven more days?" She asked before he groaned, laying back on the bed. She watched as he covered his eyes with his arm.

"I know." He softly spoke as she ran her hand over his chest. Another groan left his lips as she laid pressed against his side, pressing her cheek to his chest.

Just feeling her close after what had happened was too much. He was still worked up from the amazing blow job she just gave him.

"Bella?" He spoke, grunting, as his erection came back to life. Damn his hormones. Just a simple touch was all it took and he wanted her. Hell, all he needed was to know she was there and he needed her. He just wanted to say 'screw waiting' and make love to her. It's not like having sex before the wedding was frowned upon. It was sex before the engagement which was a big no-no. But, still, he made a promise to her concerning this and he was going to keep it.

"Yes?" She spoke with a quiet voice before he slowly pulled her hand off his chest. He couldn't handle the simple touch. It was going to drive him up the wall.

"I was thinking that maybe it would be better if we went back to you sleeping at your sister's hut." A quick breath left her parted lips as she slowly sat up and stared down at him, his eyes still covered by his arm.

"What?" Her voice was still quiet, not loud enough for him to hear the sad tone in her voice. He groaned a little and nodded.

"I just thought it would be a good idea." Tears filled her eyes as her lip quivered and she slowly stood up, her hand splayed across her chest. Her heart ached from his request.

One thought repeated over and over in her head. He didn't want her anymore.

This was sudden. Could it have been that she didn't pleasure him enough? Maybe she was so terrible at what she did that he decided marrying her was a bad idea?

She didn't know what it could be. What did she do wrong?

She strolled over to the doorway as she wiped away her tears.

"If that's what you want…." She walked out the doorway as he chuckled to himself.

"Come on, Bella. It's what would be best for now. You know that, don't you?" He asked, but he was greeted by silence. He was confused by this. She was never one to not add more to a discussion, let alone when that discussion was about their living arrangement or their relationship, period.

He pulled his arm from his face and sat up, looking around the room. He was hoping to find her, but the room was empty.

"Bella?" He called her name as he moved to his feet and adjusted his pants to sit right on his hips. He slowly strolled to the doorway and walked out. He struggled to look around in the darkness. The village was silent and the outside was empty of life.

Everyone must have been asleep. He knew she had left, but he wasn't sure why. He just wanted to discuss the possibility. He wanted this next week to be easier for them to keep their vow of celibacy. Just being alone with her made it difficult. He loved spending time with her and talking to her. She was so peaceful looking when she slept, but them being alone in his hut just made it difficult to keep his promise. Other couples had it easier because they didn't sleep in the same bed before marriage.

They had shared a bed for months and that was enough to make even waiting one night difficult.

He wasn't sure if she was coming back or if she was going with what he wanted, but he knew for sure that there was no way he would find her in the darkness of night.

He walked back into his hut, laid on his side of the bed, and went to sleep.

 **I know, it's sad. We all know Jacob was an idiot for not thinking Bella would be upset by his request. Just remember that this is a B/J HEA story and bare with me.**

 **Spoiler: someone else from Bella's past pops up in the next chapter. Who could it be?**

 **Love,**

 **Lina**


End file.
